Awake and Unafraid
by akitsunesrose
Summary: Saya and Ayano are two average high school students, both looking forward to their sixteenth birthday. But when two mysterious people save them from an attempted kidnapping, the two girls learn they are anything but ordinary. Pairings KuramaOC, HieiOC
1. A Tragic End

Tama: New fic!! Yaaay!

Nori: Yea, and maybe you'll actually finish this one!

Tama: …I change my mind a lot.

Nori: That's an understatement…

Tama: Well, at least this one is starting out better than all the rest.

Nori: Amen.

Tama: Hiei, will you do the disclaimer?

Hiei: groans Tama doesn't own YYH, but she does own all the OCs and situations.

Tama and Nori: BEGIN!

_---------------------------------_

"_There you go, that should be healed within the next month or so. From now on, don't put your finger near anything sharp. I'm not sure if you can reattach it a third time," a young girl said smiling at her patient. _

"_Oh, yea, sure, thanks a lot Lady Aurora!" he said cheerfully and ran away. Aurora smiled. She pulled on the ribbon that held up her long, wavy, dark brown hair and let it fall. She adjusted her bangs as she looked up at the sun. It was getting close to sunset. She decided to pack up for the day. She would help the rest of the town with their medical problems tomorrow. _

_As she gathered all of her things, she wondered why she even played the role of town healer. She hated seeing blood, unless she was the one who had caused it to spill. She was a goddess of wind, designed for battle and perfecting the element. She was a fighter, not a doctor. _

_She sighed. She knew that the only reason most of these people in this town was because of her special abilities. She made it look as though she was an ordinary girl. She hid her ability to heal. She knew that if everyone knew, she would never be able to leave. _

_It was times like this that she envied Diemos. She was her best friend, and a goddess, as well. Diemos was mastering the fire element and she was more of a fighter than anyone had ever seen. All day, every day, for the most part, Diemos was out training and fighting. Anyone that crossed her path was as good as dead. Of course, Aurora wasn't exactly fond of it either when anyone bugged her about why she had the ability to create a tornado with her mind, but Aurora had a little more mercy that Diemos did. Just a little bit. _

_Both the girls were intelligent, gorgeous, and powerful, but they couldn't be more different. Diemos was the most ungodly goddess you could imagine. Her lack of caring in battle, or for anyone she ran into, rather, and her strange sense of humor made her very unique. She had long, straight, blonder hair that went past her shoulders with reddish brown highlights. She hated her hair, and always tied it up with a ribbon she received from her father before he died. Her side bangs were almost always in her face, and her neck was cluttered with dog tags, some of which came from her victims. She wore a long black kimono with red dragons, a golden trim and black sandals. Her eyes were crimson, filled with hate during battle. Aurora always knew about why she was the way she was, but she still wondered how anyone could live the way she did._

_A bloodcurdling scream snapped Aurora out of her thoughts. Her head spun towards the forest, which was where the sound came from. She jumped up, grabbed her katana at her side and took off. Somehow, she knew exactly who the scream belonged to. _

_When she reached Diemos, her kimono was already soaked with blood. At a quick glance, Aurora guessed she had taken a sword to the gut. She knew it was serious, but she also knew that that wasn't enough to keep Diemos down for long. _

"_Hey, Ror, took you long enough to get here. You out of shape or something?" Diemos asked with a smirk. She winced as she stood up. _

"_Di, what happened? Who did this?" Aurora asked. She looked around, and there was no one in sight. But she sensed a disruption in the flow of the wind, meaning someone was nearby. No. Three people. And they were getting closer. _

"_No…it can't be…not them…not now…," Aurora whispered. She looked at Diemos for a response, and she nodded her head. Aurora sighed and looked down. They hadn't done anything to draw their attention this time. Why were they here? _

_Just as she thought this, they were approached by three girls their age. The first had long light brown hair, down to her lower back, and brown eyes. She was wearing a dark green kimono and had a bow staff in one hand and a Chinese sword tied to her obi. The second was a platinum blonde with hair the same length, and blue eyes. Her kimono was dark blue and she had daggers in her hand and a snake sword at her waist. The third was by far the most intimidating. Her hair and eyes were jet black. Her kimono was also black, and held a long sword with a scythe at her hip. The first was Azalea, goddess of the earth element. The second was Evadne, water goddess. And the third was the goddess of darkness, named Daeva. _

"_What do you want now, Daeva?" Aurora asked, as she turned to face them. She shot a quick glance at Diemos, and knew right away that she had tried to fight the other goddesses on her own and failed miserably. Now she was badly hurt, and that mistake might end up costing them their lives. _

_Neither Diemos nor Aurora knew why Daeva, Evadne, and Azalea hated them so much. They had never really done anything to make them hate each other. But for some reason, the three had a grudge against them. It seemed as though they would do anything to take them down. So far, Aurora and Diemos had managed to keep them at a distance. This was the first time they had actually attacked them close to home. _

"_I think you know, Aurora. You two brats have been nothing but trouble for us. Now, you'll pay," Daeva replied with a smirk. She nodded to the girls of earth and water and they attacked. Evadne went straight for Diemos with her daggers. In pain, but still ready to fight, Di blocked and countered. But Evadne was ready and also managed to block. Knowing that Di was wounded, Aurora knew she should help, but she had her own fight to worry about. Azalea was headed for her. _

'_Ok, kill this bitch, then help Di. That's your only choice right now,' Aurora told herself. She fought Azalea's Chinese sword off with her katana. Out of the corner of their eyes, all four noticed Daeva just standing there, watching, and smirking. _

_Evadne was giving Diemos a run for her money, but eventually, Di slipped and got another huge gash in her stomach. She cried out in pain and fell to her knees. She could handle a whole in the stomach, but not two at the same time. _

"_Di!" Aurora yelled and whipped her head around in her direction. The two seconds she looked away was long enough for Azalea to make her move. She drove her sword into Aurora's stomach. Aurora's eyes went wide and she fell to the ground. _

_Assuming she had won, Azalea turned her back to Aurora and went to go help Evadne. Aurora, still conscious, looked up at her opponent, her eyes filling with hatred. Without even realizing it, the element within her began to stir and she launched an attack. Her core sent a huge tornado at Azalea. By the time the earth goddess realized what was going on, it was too late to stop it. Her screams of pain and terror were heard as the whirling winds devoured her alive. When the winds stopped, nothing remained. _

_Aurora smiled to herself. The pain was getting worse and her vision was starting to blur. Part of her goal had been accomplished, but she wasn't done yet. Slowly and painfully, she pulled the sword out of her gut and stood. _

_Meanwhile, Evadne stood over Diemos. They glared into each other's eyes, each wishing for the other to burn in the fiery pits of the netherworld. Evadne, holding a dagger, raised her arms and Diemos positioned one of her katanas in both hands. As if they had a cue, at the same time, they plunged their weapons into each other's chests. Evadne fell to the ground, dead. Diemos looked over at Aurora. As she saw her stand, she grinned to herself. _

'_Get her. For both of us,' she thought. Then she died. _

_Aurora immediately sensed that Diemos was gone. She wanted to just break down and cry right there. But she knew she had a job to do. _

_She approached Daeva with a look of determination in her eyes. She looked down, seeing that her white and blue kimono was completely soaked with blood. Right now, that didn't matter. _

"_Aurora. Give it up. You and I both know there's nothing you can do to defeat me," Daeva warned with a smirk. Aurora kept walking and drew her bladed nunchaku. _

"_Your persistence is annoying. Let's end this now," Daeva said with a slight growl. Within half a second, she managed to draw her scythe and pierce Aurora's heart. She fell to the ground. _

_Aurora wasn't able to see at all. Her breathing was getting very labored. She knew that she had lost, and that that would haunt her forever. Cursing Daeva, she blacked out and drew her last breath._

'_Sorry, Di. I guess we'll get 'em next time…'_

_-------------------_

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDA-AY-AY!!"

Ayano awoke to a hundred and ten pounds jumping on top of her and yelling in her ear. She knew right away that it could be only one person: her best friend, Saya. She had slept over the night before.

"Ugh, dear Kami, Say, could you get off of me?" Ayano groaned. She hated to be woken up. Saya giggled.

"Well sorry if I'm actually excited that today is your sixteenth birthday! You only get one of those, you know," she replied with a grin. She knew that Ayano was excited too; it just wouldn't show until she managed to roll out of bed. "So, Ay, what are we gonna do today?"

"Jeez, I don't know yet, Say. I'm really not even feeling too great," she replied. Saya reached out and put her hand on her best friend's forehead.

"Holy shit, Ay, you're burning up. How did that happen? Here, I'll go get the thermometer," she said as she left the room. Ayano rolled her eyes. Saya was right. You only get one sweet sixteen. Why did a fever have to screw it up?

Saya came back and stuck the thermometer in Ayano's mouth. After a minute of just sitting there, Saya started humming the Jeopardy theme song, waiting for the thermometer to go off. When it finally did, Ayano just stared at it, wide-eyed.

"I…uh…I think this thing's broken," she stuttered. Saya looked back at her, confused and ripped the thermometer out of her hands. Her jaw dropped.

"Oh dear Kami! Ayano, how are you alive right now!?!?" she exclaimed. The thermometer read one hundred nine degrees Fahrenheit.

"Come on Say, it's broken. It has to be," Ayano reasoned, half to reassure herself. She knew she had a fever, but that was ridiculous.

"Uh…yea…anyways. I'm gonna go shower and get ready. 'Cause whether you're sick or not, we're gonna par-tay tonight!" Saya exclaimed, jumped up and raced out of the room. Ayano shook her head and laughed. Usually, _she_ was the psychotic one.

Just as she promised Ayano years ago, Saya held a sweet sixteen party for her friend. And she really went all out. DJ, pizza, a band, and practically everyone in their school. How Saya paid for it all was a mystery to everyone.

Just as the party was getting good, some loser decided to start moshing by the punch bowl and ending up knocking the whole table over, spilling the whole thing on Ayano.

"Oh my god, you fucking loser! I'm gonna fucking kill you!!," Ayano screamed at him as Saya dragged her upstairs to her room. She slammed the door shut and stood against it while Ayano screamed and cursed the guy who had spilled punch on the only pair of jeans that were clean and her new shirt. Saya noticed that it had even somehow managed to get in her hair, but she decided now was not the best time to tell her that. Ay continued to rant while Saya looked at the imaginary watch on her wrist. Eventually, Ay stopped to take a breath.

"…you done?" Saya asked. "'Cause you've got a whole crowd of people down there and a DJ that's only here for three more hours and you will enjoy it Damnit!" She smirked. "Come on, get changed, we should get back down there."

Ayano smiled. "Yea, alright fine. Thanks for doing this by the way, yo."

"No problem…and what are you, gangsta?" Saya responded.

"Fo shizzle. Let's get crunk!" Ay said as she did the west side symbol with her fingers. Saya just rolled her eyes.

Ayano changed into a pair of black capris with a black studded belt and a green tank top. Her dark blue eyes were covered in black eye liner in a way that only she could pull off. Her hair, she wore like she usually did, short in the back, gradually getting longer in the front. As she fixed it in the mirror, she noticed that the red and purple highlights in her naturally black hair were beginning to fade. She frowned. She wasn't in a hurry to go get it died again, last time it cost her half of her life savings…which was only about the $120 dollars she got early for her birthday. Ayano wasn't very good with saving her money.

Saya also took a turn at fixing herself in the mirror. Her straight, long, brown highlighted blonde was a mess, so she stole the brush from Ayano. She was wearing a black jean mini skirt with a chain hanging off the side and a baby blue no-sleeved shirt, which brought out her bright blue eyes. Her mascara and eyeliner had miraculously stayed on.

"Well, let's get back then. I think I hear someone screaming to do that brave heart thing you've always wanted to do," Saya said. As she stepped back to take one last look in the mirror, she happened to glance over at the window's reflection, where she saw a figure sitting on the windowsill. She screamed and whipped around.

"Saya, what the- OH MY GOD!" Ayano screamed. The figure in the window was tall, at least six feet. He jumped down into the room, and he was quickly followed by two more that looked just like him, because all three wore black cloaks.

Saya looked at Ayano, asking her what the hell should they do with her eyes. Ayano shrugged. Both girls began to panic.

"Which one of you is Diemos and which is Aurora?" The first one asked. Again, Ayano and Saya looked at each other, this time with confusion, as well as fear.

"What? Who the hell are they? Diemos? Aurora?" Ayano asked.

"Do not back talk!" One of them yelled and grabbed her by her neck and lifted her off the ground.

"Ay!" Saya yelled. She tried to tackle the guy that was strangling her best friend, but he was just too big. He wouldn't budge. Saya fell on her back, and one of the other ones put his foot on her stomach, to make sure she wouldn't move. She looked over at Ayano, struggling to breath, and had a strange sense of déjà vu. She had seen this all before. Suddenly, the names Diemos and Aurora seemed so clear.

She saw trees, darkness, and wind. She could smell hatred. She could hear screams of terror. She felt the wind on her face and tasted blood.

"Rose Whip!" was the phrase that broke her out of her thoughts. Her head whipped towards the window, and there were two new people standing there. One was short, a little taller than Ayano and Saya (who were both 5'3"), wearing a black cloak, shoes and pants. He had gravity defying black hair with a white starburst in the middle. There was a white headband on his forehead, and his eyes were crimson red. In his hands was a katana. The other person was a tall red head with shockingly emerald green eyes. He was wearing a purple school uniform and black shoes. He was holding onto a long whip covered in thorns, attached to a rose.

The girls watched as the two newcomers destroyed their captors with ease. Ayano was in shock. She couldn't believe that a battle had just taken place in her bedroom. Oh, her mother was going to kill her for getting blood on the carpet…

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Tama: Chapter one, Fin!

Nori: …sharks?

Tama: grins Yes, Nori, sharks. looks over at a conveniently placed shark tank Oh Hieiiiiii!

Hiei: smirks and grabs Nori

Nori: HEY! LET GO OF ME! HIEI I'M GOING TO KILL- is thrown to the sharks and screams as she swims for her life

Kurama: rolls his eyes Here we go again…

Tama: laughs hysterically until Hiei grabs her and throws her in too AHH! CURSE YOU HIEI! also swims for her life

Hiei: grins Baka onnas…

Kurama: Read and Review!


	2. Meet the Rest of the Gang

Tama: Chapter twooooooo!!

Nori: Yupperz.

Tama: Eh…I'm too tired today to come up with an interesting disclaimer, so, I don't own YYH or any of its characters, but I do own all the OCs Damnit!

Nori: -wipes tears from her eyes- Well said.

Tama: Fic Time!

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As the newcomers killed the other guys, Ayano was dropped to the ground, landing on her knees. She struggled to catch her breath, but eventually got it under control. Saya stood up and attempted to wipe the blood of the guy standing over her off. He was now laying on the ground in pieces, thanks to the rose whip. She looked at Ayano, and then back at the redhead and the guy in black.

"What the hell is going on here?" Saya shouted. "Who are you?"

"Yea, why the hell are you here? Get the fuck out of my house!" Ayano screamed. Her breathing was starting to get back to normal, but it was still interesting to hear her try to scream. "Go!"

"Before you jump to any conclusions, we're not who you think we are. We're actually here to help you, believe it or not," the redhead told them calmly. "But in order for us to explain why, you need to come with us. It's too dangerous to stay here."

"Come with you?!?! We don't even know you!" Ayano shouted once again. "Plus, I have a birthday party downstairs. What do you want me to do? Leave?"

"Baka onna…no, wait until the party is done, clean up, get a good night's sleep, and then take your time getting out of here. All that's at risk is your lives," the short one said sarcastically. Ayano just glared at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Come on, kitsune, we don't have time for this," he said to the taller one. He nodded, walked over and picked up Saya and slung her over his shoulder. The one in black did the same to Ayano.

"HEY! LET ME GO! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK THEY'RE DOING?!?!?" both girls screamed, pounding on the guys' backs. But it was no use. They had a firm grip, and there was no way they were letting go. They left the same way they came, through the window.

After about five minutes, they gave up struggling. At first they were scared to death. Where the hell were they going? They had no idea who these people were. And what did they want with them?

They had been walking for about half an hour when Ayano just couldn't take the silence anymore. She just had to say something.

"Hey guys…," she began slowly. Saya turned her head to look at her. She played with the light purple pendant around her neck. Both were still on the guys' backs.

"What?" Saya asked.

"…I have to burp…," Ayano said. She waited a second and then let out one of the biggest burps of her life. At first her eyes went wide, then she grinned maniacally.

"Heh…there we go!" she exclaimed proudly. Saya rolled her eyes, then laughed hysterically. The guy holding her let out a slight chuckled. But Ayano's captor was downright pissed. He dropped her on the ground.

"You baka! You're a disgrace! That was disgusting! I heard…smelled…felt AND TASTED that!" he exclaimed.

"Jeez…it's just a burp dude…," Ayano said and laughed. She stood up of the ground and winked at Saya. Oh, it was going to be so easy to drive him crazy.

"So, can we at least know what's going on here now? I'm sick of having no idea what the hell is going on and whether or not I'm gonna die," Saya asked. The redhead set her down on the ground.

"Yea, give it to us straight, doc. We can take it!" Ayano said and grinned.

"Well, for starters, you aren't going to die," the tall one said. Saya thought she heard the shorter one mutter something about how someone was going to die if it took them much longer to get there…but she ignored it. Both girls breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that they were going to stay alive for awhile longer would make almost anyone happy. "And maybe we should introduce ourselves. My name is Kurama, and that's Hiei. We're spirit detectives for Koenma."

"You're what? And who's Koenma?" Ayano asked.

"Just wait a minute, we're here," the one called Kurama said. They were standing before the biggest flight of stairs the girls had ever seen. They looked at each other in awe. "Well, let's get moving."

The climb took about an hour, and most of that time was spent jogging. By the time they reached the top, Ayano and Saya were winded.

Kurama and Hiei led them into what appeared to be a temple on the outside, but the inside was completely modern. Saya noticed a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, tvs, computers, books, and everything that a house nowadays would have. They stopped in a large room, which seemed to be a type of living room. There were four long futons and tables.

"I see you found them, nice work," came a voice from behind them. Ayano and Saya spun around to see a woman standing in the doorway. She was short, much shorter than Hiei, and had long pink hair. She was older, and wore a traditional fighting outfit. She was joined by a tall brown haired teenager with a pacifier in his mouth. Behind him was a blue haired girl wearing a pink kimono.

"Oh, I'll go get the others!" the blue haired girl exclaimed and raced off. "They're here!" she shouted. The teen and the woman approached them. The woman got right in their faces, as if to study them. The girls looked at each other, wondering what the hell she was doing.

"They need a lot of work. But that's them alright," she said. Just then, four new people entered the room. The first was a tall, orange haired guy who looked way too excited to be there. The second was a shorter guy with black hair and brown eyes. He was mumbling something about how the guy in front of him was an idiot. The third was a brunette, about the same height as Saya and Ayano. She looked furious with the guy in front of her, but at the same time, Saya could tell they were a couple, just by the way he looked at her. The last had turquoise hair and crimson eyes. She had on a turquoise kimono and had the sweetest smile.

"Well, since the gang's all here, let's get down to business," the brown-haired guy said. "That's Kuwabara, Yusuke, Keiko and Yukina. You already know Kurama and Hiei. That's Genkai, this is her temple. And I'm Koenma, prince of the spirit world."

All he got from Saya and Ayano were blank looks. They looked at each other, confused as hell, trying to figure out if the other had any idea what was going on. No luck.

"That's great and all, nice to meet you, but why are we here?" Saya asked. "What did we do?"

"You see, it's not what you two did. Well, it kind of is, but not really. Here, let's start at the beginning. Have a seat, everyone, this might take awhile," Koenma said. They all did. He cleared his throat. "Years ago, there were five goddesses of the elements: Daeva of darkness, Evadne of water, Azalea of earth, Diemos of fire, and Aurora of wind. All were powerful, but somehow, Daeva managed to surpass the rest. It is believed that in order to make herself stronger, she sold her soul to the King of the Netherworld. Anyway, the goddesses never got along. They divided into two groups. Daeva led the first, which included Evadne and Azalea. The common people feared them, and thus they kept their distance. Although Evadne and Azalea attempted to stand up to Daeva once, their efforts failed and she threatened to make them wish they were never born if they ever stood up to her again. They valued their lives, and stuck with Daeva. Sometimes, they would go on killing sprees, led by Daeva, of course, until their blood thirst was satisfied."

"Sounds like fun," Ayano said cheerfully. Saya shook her head and laughed. That was Ayano for you.

"The other group was more low-key. Diemos and Aurora were far less power hungry than Daeva's group. Diemos, once a ruthless killer, calmed down a bit once she became Aurora's best friend. Aurora, once a very shy and afraid girl, opened up because of Diemos. The two were inseparable, like sisters, and together, it was thought they could do anything."

"Then what happened?" Saya asked. "You're saying this all as if something horrible happened…did it?"

"Yes. One day, Daeva and her clan launched an attack on Diemos when she was out training. They had attacked the two goddesses before, but never when one was alone. Immediately, the girls knew this time was different. Because they attacked Diemos, they assumed it was her that they wanted. They couldn't have been more wrong. What they needed from Diemos they had taken long ago. It was Aurora that they needed. Aurora had the last of the five stones needed to open up the portal to the Netherworld. Of course, my father or myself could've done it, but there was no way Daeva was going to come to us for help. She and I were never the best of friends…anyway. They had taken Diemos' stone in one of their previous battles. Diemos had no idea that she had put them one step closer to opening the gates of hell, she just thought she had lost a necklace."

"Why did Daeva want to get into hell? And couldn't she do so by just killing herself or something?" Saya asked. This story was confusing, but she was following it for the most part.

"Daeva realized what she had done when she sold her soul to the devil. She wanted to try to get her soul back. That's why she needed all five stones to open the portal. She couldn't wait until death, by then it would be too late," Genkai explained.

"So she was trying to save herself…," Saya said. This was all sounding too familiar.

"Right. Daeva was smart, and she knew how close Diemos and Aurora were. She knew that if she attacked Diemos, Aurora was sure to come to her rescue. One on one, Diemos could kill Evadne, Azalea, or even Daeva. But three against one, she had no chance. And just as she predicted, Aurora came to help. Both were caught off guard, and neither was prepared for a battle like this. They fought hard, but in the end, Evadne, Azalea, Aurora and Diemos were all killed. Daeva was the only one that managed to stay alive, probably because she simply watched when the others slaughtered each other," Koenma continued.

"So Daeva got what she wanted?" Ayano asked. She was having a hard time understanding it all, but she knew that if people died, that Daeva chick must've been happy.

"No. Aurora was the last to die, and just as Daeva was about to snatch the stone, it disappeared from around Aurora's neck. Her soul managed to protect it, even in death, and took it with her to spirit world," Kurama explained.

"So, wouldn't that be the end of their troubles? The last stone was gone, Daeva couldn't get it, end of story," Yusuke said.

"No, Yusuke, you're wrong. Diemos had a very fiery soul, no pun intended, and almost as soon as it reached spirit world, it was reincarnated. Once Aurora's soul arrived in Reikei, it too wanted to be reincarnated. And for a reason unknown to me, my father allowed it. It was decided that each girl would regain their powers at age sixteen. However, once they reached that age and their powers began to show, they had no idea how to control them. The reincarnations were killed. This happened twenty two different times. It wasn't until now that we were able to reach the reincarnations in time to save them," Koenma paused. "You two are the reincarnations of them. Ayano, you are the fire goddess Diemos and Saya, you are the wind goddess Aurora."

Saya and Ayano looked at each other in shock, then burst out laughing. Everyone else looked at each other, not sure what to do next.

"Uh…girls, we're serious…you guys really are-" Koenma started.

"Oh, don't worry, we believe you. It's just that that explains perfectly Ay's obsession with fire," Saya explained between laughs.

"Yea, and Say's obsession with flying," Ayano agreed.

"So…you guys actually aren't freaking out?" Koenma asked. The girls shook their heads. Koenma sighed. That was a relief.

"So…now that we know this…what now?" Saya asked.

"Now, Daeva still isn't finished. She is still out there. She won't stop until she gets that stone that Aurora possessed. Which, actually, you should have now, Saya," Koenma said and looked at her.

"Wait, what? Sorry, I wasn't listening," she said sheepishly and smiled. She wouldn't admit it, but she was too busy staring at Kurama's eyes. They were hypnotizing. Seriously, how could eyes get that green?

"You should've been born with it. That purple stone you wear around your neck all the time, that's it," Genkai told her. Saya looked down and played with the stone between her fingers. He was right, she'd had it for as long as she could remember. But she hadn't really noticed anything special about it.

"You mean this thing? It never seemed like anything other than a rock," Saya said. How could something so simple be so important to an all powerful goddess?

"Oh no, it's far more than that," Koenma told her, then looked at his watch. "Well, it's getting late. We can discuss all this at a later time. Ayano, now that you have your powers, that explains your fever today by the way, Daeva will be able to find you. And once your birthday comes, she'll be after you too Saya. You need to be ready. So you will stay here and train with Genkai and the Reikei Tentai until the time comes. Genkai has already set up your rooms and has informed your families that you will be at camp for awhile. It doesn't make much sense, considering it's late November, but Genkai persuaded them."

"It's late, I'll show you your rooms," Kurama said and motioned for the girls to follow him. They said goodnight to Koenma and the others and followed him. He led them down long hallways and eventually to two adjoining rooms. The one on the left was light green and the one on the right was light blue. Ayano immediately went for the blue room, surprised to see that some of her stuff from home was already there. It was the same for Saya in the green room. Each girl had a wardrobe full of new normal and combat clothes, and a bathroom.

"Jeez, Genkai sure knows how to make someone feel welcome, this place is perfect!" Ayano said and jumped onto her bed. Saya just laughed from her doorway. Kurama chuckled.

"Well, get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we begin your training," Kurama said.

"Mk, goodnight!" Saya chirped.

"Goodnight," Kurama said with a smile. Saya could've sworn she detected a hint of mischief in his eyes. She smiled and shut her door. She walked over into Ayano's room, only to see her flopping around on the bed and then on the floor, like always.

"So, feel any different? Now that you're a fire goddess?" Saya asked, sitting in Ayano's bed. Ay stopped momentarily. She considered it for a moment.

"Hm…nope," she continued to roll. "Well, other than the lovely burning sensation I felt at 4:00 this morning. I woke up and was just on fire, but it passed within a minute, and I went back to sleep."

"Do you think that's when you got your powers? I mean, you were born at 4 in the morning…," Saya asked. Ayano nodded.

"I wonder what yours will feel like…I mean wind…maybe you'll get ripped apart by a tornado or something." Saya glared at her best friend.

"Oh, well thanks for that pleasant thought," she said sarcastically, then grinned and threw a pillow at her. "Well, I'm going to bed. 'Night."

She walked back into her room and changed into her pajamas, playing with her pendant again. She sat down on the edge of her bed.

'Hm…how can something so small mean so much?' she wondered. She looked out the window up at the stars. She could clearly make out the constellations, especially Orian. That always put her at ease. She smiled.

Everything would work out, eventually. It had to. She crawled beneath the covers and slept, preparing for the long day tomorrow.

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Tama: Done with chapter two! Whoa, that took me way too long to write.

Nori: That's cuz you're slow.

Tama: …I'll ignore that one. Read and Review!


	3. Let the Dreams Begin

Tama: Alright, Chapter three!

Nori: Yaaaay!

Tama: I'm glad most of the explaining is done, now I can make things a bit more interesting –smirks-

Nori: Oh jeez….

Tama: Disclaimer please!

Kurama: Tama doesn't own YYH (if she did, we would probably all be dead by now…)

Tama: -frowns-

Kurama: …but she does own all of the OCs.

Tama: Thanks, babe.

Nori (to Hiei): …did she just call him _babe_?

Tama: Read now bitches! Oh! I almost forgot! Here's a key!

&words&à Youko talking to Kurama

'words'à normal thinking

Tama: Ok, now read!

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"_Di, come on, hurry up, you can torture him later," Aurora said impatiently. Diemos frowned._

"_Aw…ok," she whined and gave in. She dropped the bandit to the ground and watched him run away. He was about thirteen and still had no idea what he was doing. He was just asking for it when he attempted to rob Diemos. "He was a sorry excuse for a bandit anyway. Not even worth my time." Diemos smirked, and Aurora laughed. She was right. He was worthless. Not even Aurora would waste her time on him. _

"_Alright, let's get out of here then. We were supposed to be there by now, and I hate being late," Aurora said. Diemos nodded and followed Aurora deeper into the woods. _

"_Eh, I'm tired of walking," Aurora complained after awhile. She jumped up about twenty feet and began to hop from tree to tree with demon like speed. Diemos began to run at the same speed. She smiled. She liked the thought of no one being able to see or hear them coming, they were that quick, and that silent. _

_They reached their destination in very little time. It was a huge fortress surrounded by a tall iron gate. Five towers surrounded it, arranged in what looked like a star from above. In the front if the fortress was a drawbridge with a typical moat. There were official guards at every entrance, making it almost impossible to get into if you weren't invited. _

_The girls approached the iron gate and without a word, it opened. The guards nodded for them to go through. They did the same at the drawbridge. As they passed, Diemos noticed the piranhas below. She made a mental note that those would be good to torture someone with. _

_They entered the fortress and were immediately the center of attention. These people all assumed that they were royalty, which, in actuality they were. Little did they know they were goddesses, too. _

_The girls were quickly led upstairs into the foyer. They were able to look around and noticed that a few minor changes had been made. There was a new chandelier hanging above the double staircase. The floors were the same, made of white solid marble. The walls were a new crimson red with a gold trim. A long rug extended up the stairs and throughout the foyer the same color as the walls. They were led into a large room directly across from the stairs. Inside was a crowd of about seven or eight people, all gathered around an older man sitting in a chair. He looked to be about forty-five, with short black hair and grey eyes. He wore a long red and gold robe trimmed with white fur. On top of his head was a crown adorned in rubies. He turned once he heard the girls enter the room. _

"_Ah, Diemos, Aurora, you're here," he said and smiled. He got up and hugged them, then motioned for everyone else in the room to leave. "Happy birthday. How was the transition?"_

"_Not that bad, it didn't really hurt at all," Aurora said. _

"_Yea, and it was pretty easy to adapt to. Although most people would find it strange to make fire come out of your fist and have it not hurt…," Diemos said and laughed. The man grinned. _

"_Daeva, Evadne, and Azalea are all downstairs. They said that when they got their powers it was easy, too. I was afraid it would be very difficult, although I had no idea. It's not like I've been through the same thing," he said. "Well, anyway, you two go get dressed. I want all my daughters to look their best when they're finally presented to the people of their kingdom." _

_The girls nodded and left, each going to their respective tower. The man turned and looked in the mirror, fixing his crown. As an emperor, he had to look his best at all times. As he was about to leave his room and go downstairs, he paused. He secretly thanked the gods that his daughters had all survived the process of gaining their powers. He knew from before their birth that they were going to be special. The world was in chaos at that time, and King Enma, ruler of the spirit world, had come to him asking for help. In order to help restore peace to the Earth, he needed five unborn children to represent each of the five elements. He chose the emperor because he knew that they would be protected there. He couldn't take the chance of anything happening to the goddesses. _

_The empress ended up having five girls, and died soon after from tuberculosis. King Enma told the emperor that each girl would receive their powers at age sixteen, and that no one was to know that they were anything out of the ordinary. So, for the first thirteen years of their life, Diemos, Azalea, Daeva, Aurora, and Evadne knew nothing about who they really were. Once they were told, though, they were simply anxious. They always argued over who was going to get what. But all their father could do was worry. He didn't know if, before they were even born, he had doomed them. _

_Now, he was happy to know that so far all was well. He left his room and went down to the grand hall filled with tons of people, just waiting for the celebration to begin. _

_------------------------_

"_Hey, Ror, do I really have to wear this crap?" Diemos said as she walked into Aurora's room. She was wearing a long traditional kimono, which was completely the opposite of what she was used to. The kimono had long sleeves and extended to her ankles. It was red with a black trim and had a black flame like design shooting up from the wrists. Her obi was also black and tied in the back with a large bow. She wore black sandals. Her shoulder length blonde hair was tied back into a high bun and on her head she wore a simple tiara encrusted with rubies. She looked so out of her element._

"_Hehe, sorry Di, what Dad says goes. Plus, it's only for tonight. Besides, these people actually want to see you look like a princess for once," Aurora said. She wasn't that happy with her outfit either. It was the same as Diemos', except it was white with a purple trim, and the obi was light purple as well. Her hair was also tied up, the same way as Di's, and she had a few waves hanging in her face, along with her bangs. The only reason she hated it was because it was uncomfortable. She felt like she was being suffocated, the clothes acted like a corset. But it was only for the night, and it would make their father happy. He had done so much for them in the past, this was the least they could do. _

"_Yea, well, what have these people ever done for me?" Diemos asked as she looked in the mirror. Yea. This was so not her. _

"_Uh, enabled you to live in this lifestyle to which you've become accustomed," Aurora answered. Seeing the confused look on Di's face, she added, "They're the ones that provide you with people to torture." _

"_Oh, yea, right," she said and smirked. Aurora walked over to Diemos and tightened her belt. _

"_Ugh-Ow! What was that for?" Diemos exclaimed. _

"_If I'm going to suffocate, so are you," she replied and smirked. They both laughed. "Well, I guess we should get down there. You know, we haven't even gotten our birthday presents yet."_

"_Yea, I know. Maybe I'm the only one getting any this year 'cause I'm Dad's favorite…," Diemos said and grinned. Aurora rolled her eyes. _

"_Oh please…let's go," she said and playfully pushed her sister out of the room. She shut the door and they went downstairs to join the others at the party._

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ayano woke up and looked around the room. She remembered she was at Genkai's and that yesterday was her sixteenth birthday. But that dream she just had, she had no idea what that was about. She thought about it for a minute, and then the names clicked.

'Diemos, Aurora, Daeva…yea that's right. The goddesses. I guess I'm getting flashbacks of their lives in my dreams…,' she though to herself. She looked over at the clock. It read 7:30. She got up and walked over to the door that connected her room to Saya's. She opened it and saw that her best friend was still sound asleep. She decided to fix that.

"WAKEY WAKEY DEAREST FRIEND OF MINE! IT'S BRIGHT AND EARLY AND YOU ARE WASTING YOUR LIFE BY SLEEPING! WAKE UPPPPPPPPPPP!" she shouted in Saya's ear as she jumped up and down on her bed. Saya groaned and pulled the blankets over her head.

"Uh…god damnit, Ay, get the hell off me," Saya whined. Ayano grinned.

"Nope! I owe you! Remember yesterday! Your turn now!"

"Ugh…I hate you so much right now…you fucking bitch, get off of meeeeeeeeeee," Saya groaned. She sighed, knowing that it was no use. Karma was a bitch. She sat up and pushed Ayano off, glaring at her. She looked at the clock. 7:32. Damn.

"Alright. I'm up. What do you want?" she asked. The two sat crossed legged on Saya's bed, facing each other.

"Last night, I dreamt about Diemos and Aurora. It was more of a flashback, or a memory even," Ayano told her. Saya raised her eyebrows in astonishment.

"Really? What was it about?" she asked, completely interested now.

"I guess it was their sixteenth birthday. All of theirs, actually. Aurora, Diemos, Evadne, Azalea and Daeva. According to the emperor, anyway. He was their father."

"Wait…so Daeva, Evadne, Aurora, Diemos, and Azalea are quintuplets?" Saya asked.

"I guess so. And their mother died, I'm not really sure when or why though," Ayano replied. Saya nodded. "So anyway, I guess the emperor was throwing them some big party, and we were wearing these really uncomfortable kimonos…" She was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Uh, come in," Saya called. The door opened, and there stood Kurama and Hiei, already dressed and ready to go.

"Good morning," Kurama said cheerfully. Hiei just hned. "How did you two sleep?"

"Good, how about you?" Saya asked and smiled.

"Good," Kurama replied and did the same, delaying long enough to cause Ayano to smirk. "Uh, anyways, we're going to begin some training today, but it wont be until later, after lunch. So, just to let you know, there's no hurry."

"Oh, alright, thanks," Saya replied.

"Alright, we'll let you get back to what you were doing. See you soon," Kurama said and turned to leave.

"Bye," Saya said as he shut the door.

Hiei and Kurama walked down the hall and through Genkai's temple, with Hiei smirking the entire way. Finally, Kurama had had enough.

"Alright, what's so funny Hiei?" he asked the hanyou.

"Oh, admit it, kitsune," he said without turning to look at him. "You've already fallen for the wind goddess. Which, if you ask me, is rather pathetic. You just met her yesterday…"

"Oh, stop it, Hiei. It's just as you said, we just met yesterday. I haven't 'fallen' for Saya. You have no idea what you're talking about," Kurama protested. Hiei put up his hands in defense.

"What ever you say, fox," he said, smirking, and walked away.

&You know, the hanyou's got a point&

'What? What are you talking about?'

&You want her, don't deny it. Whether it's a physical attraction or something more, I don't know, but either way, I completely understand it. She's got one hell of a-&

'Stop it Youko. You're just as bad as Hiei sometimes. Except you, I can't seem to get rid of…'

With that, Youko shut up. Kurama knew that he and Hiei had a point, but he couldn't think about that now. As of now, the relationship between them and the girls was strictly business. If they all wanted to live, they couldn't let emotions get involved.

---------------

It was 2 in the afternoon. Hiei and Kurama stood out on the training grounds waiting for the girls so they could begin training. The weather wasn't the greatest. It was pretty windy, dark and cloudy. It was rather warm though, for late November. Hiei and Kurama were hoping to get the training done before the storm came, but if Saya and Ayano didn't show up soon, that wouldn't happen.

Hiei turned to Kurama.

"Damn, where are they?" he asked the fox, annoyed. "I'm not going to stand here all day. I do have better things to do, you know." Kurama laughed. He knew that if Hiei wasn't helping out with the training, he would just be sitting inside polishing his katana, which he already did for about an hour a day anyway.

Just as Hiei said that, they noticed the girls coming towards them. Saya and Ayano waved and ran to greet them. Their hair was blowing all over the place in the wind. Both girls were wearing some of the new clothes Genkai got for them. Ayano was wearing black capris with several pockets and a neon green tank top. She wore black sandals and a black belt, and her hair was partially held in place by a folded black bandana. She also wore a chain of silver balls around her neck. Saya wore a pair of rather short jean shorts and a black fitted shirt with sleeves that went just past her elbows. She had on black combat boots and her purple necklace was around her neck, as always. Eventually, Saya decided that she was sick of her hair in her face, and she quickly tied it back in a high ponytail.

"Hey, guys, how's it hanging?" Ayano asked cheerfully as they approached them. Hiei rolled his eyes and gave a small smile. Very small.

"Sorry we're late, _someone_ refused to leave until her bandana was perfectly in place," Saya apologized and glared at Ayano. Ayano grinned.

"That's alright. Let's get started, then," Kurama said. "Today is going to be relatively easy for you Saya. Actually, it will be easy for you for the next five weeks. Your birthday isn't for thirty-six days, correct? Until then, we can't really train you to use your powers. So, until then, all you'll be doing is working with weapons and stamina. Ayano, you'll be doing that in addition to learning to use and control your powers." Ayano's jaw dropped.

"What? No fair! She gets the easy way out for a month!?!? Damn, you suck, Saya," she exclaimed, full of jealousy. Saya wasn't even paying attention to her. She looked up at Kurama.

"But…doesn't that mean…I won't be as prepared? I mean…Ay will have a month more than I will to train with her powers…and Daeva, well she's had hundreds of years…," she asked with worried eyes.

"Yes, you will have less time, but you also have your stone still. That should help you somewhat. But, remember, we're here to help you. We'll make sure you both are ready to face Daeva in time," Kurama reassured her and gave her a soft smile. Saya nodded and half smiled. Kurama cringed. For some reason, he hated seeing her like that.

"Well, let day of hell numero uno begin!" Ayano exclaimed, thrusting her fist into the air. Kurama and Saya both shook their heads and laughed. Hiei hned, and tried to hide a smile. He failed miserably. Saya smirked when she noticed it.

"Hn, Ayano, you're with me," Hiei said, annoyed, and motioned for Ayano to follow him as he walked away. She looked at Saya. Saya nodded, pointed at Hiei and winked. Ayano gave her an 'I'm going to kill you' look, then bit her lip and smiled. Saya rolled her eyes and laughed as her best friend and the hanyou walked away.

"Oh, so you noticed it too?" Kurama asked Saya once Hiei and Ayano were out of earshot.

"Oh. Hehe, yea, I noticed it right away. Just the way she looks at Hiei…she's never…well she definitely likes him," Saya said and smiled. Kurama laughed.

"Hiei likes her too. I've never seen him smile in any situation that didn't involve someone in pain." They both laughed.

&See, that's better. I like it when she laughs& Youko commented, and Kurama could tell he was smirking.

'Sh, quiet, Youko, I'll deal with you later,' Kurama replied. He had forgotten momentarily that he had someone else in his head.

"Uh, Kurama, is something wrong?" Saya's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, no. We should, uh, we should get started on your training," he replied.

--------------

"Alright, what can you do now?" a disgruntled hanyou asked. He had led Ayano to a clearing in the middle of Genkai's forest. He didn't know what kind of power she would be starting off with, and Genkai told him that if she found a way to burn down the temple, she would have both of their heads on a platter.

"Uh…um…I can roll my tongue into a u! Watch!" she exclaimed and showed Hiei her amazing talent. Hiei just stood there dumbfounded.

"I mean with your powers, you idiot," he snapped.

"Oh…uh…nothing," Ayano replied. "And you didn't have to get so worked up over it…it was just a joke, dude." Hiei cringed.

"…don't call me…dude," he said slowly. "Anyway, let's get this over with. Summon your fire energy." Now it was Ayano's turn to stand there like an idiot.

"…and exactly how am I supposed to do that?" she asked. Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Dear Kami…," he whispered to himself. "How am I supposed to know how you summon your powers? You've got to figure that out on your own."

"What?!?! I don't know how to figure that out! That could take forever! Can't you just tell me!?!?"

"I told you, already, I DON'T KNOW!" Hiei yelled. Ayano glared at him.

"Well, then, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" she shouted.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS SUPPOSEDLY THE REINCARNATION OF A MASTER OF THE FIRE ELEMENT! YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!!" he yelled. Although, for some reason, he wasn't mad. He was just yelling because she was. And strangely, he kind of enjoyed seeing her get angry. He had never felt that way before, but seeing her angry, it just made her look so…

"…ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME, HIEI? YOU DON'T EVEN CARE IF I DIE, DO YOU? BECAUSE, IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO SUMMON MY POWER, THAT'S EXACTLY WHATS GONNA HAPPEN!" she shouted at him. She was really getting furious now.

'Why is he just staring at me? He's looking at me so…weird. I…I am furious with him…aren't I?' she thought to herself. Before she could respond, she realized she was being pinned against a tree, and Hiei's lips had met hers. Her eyes widened in disbelief. This couldn't be happening, could it? It felt so…right. She closed her eyes and let the kiss become more intimate.

Hiei's emotions were all over the place. He was so angry with himself that he let his emotions take over. He knew better than to ever get his heart involved. But at the same time, it was one of the best moments of his life so far. He couldn't help himself. He just had to have her.

Eventually, he had to pull away for air. He looked at her, afraid of her reaction. She simply licked her lips and smirked.

That was all Hiei needed.

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Tama: Ha! I'm so happy! Chapter three done!

Nori: Good job, hoe.

Tama: Thank you, skank. Although, I think I made Ayano seem like somewhat of a whore at the end of the chapter…

Nori: That's ok…

Tama: Oh well…I'll make it better later.

Nori: Werd.

Kurama: Read and Review!

Hiei: &glares at audience holding katana& No flames.


	4. After Training

Tama: Chapter four! I'm hoping this chapter will be the best so far, but I'm not making any promises yet.

Nori: Good luck with that…

Tama: -glares then grins- DISCLAIMERRRRRRRR!

Nori: Today, I'll do it…by rapping! –grins- I am CRUNKWOLF!

Tama, Kurama, Hiei: -eyes widen in fear-

Nori: Tama –beat boxes- does not own –beat boxes some more- any of the characters in YYH –attempts to moonwalk but trips and falls into a randomly placed pool with more sharks-

Tama: …eh heh…

Kurama: …but…uh…she does own all the OCs…

Nori: -thrusts a fist out of the water- CRUNKWOLF WILL NOT DIEEEEE!

Tama: …just read.

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Saya flopped down on her bed. She wanted to just cry. She didn't think she had ever been that sore in her life.

"Oh, yea, Saya, the next month will be easy for you," she said sarcastically in her impression of Kurama. "Ugh, what bullshit." She held her stomach. Her abs hurt so badly. All she had done that day was stamina, which meant tons and tons of crunches, pushups, squats, planks, and other various painful ways to increase your endurance. They had been at it for only four hours, but it felt like four years.

She was not looking forward to tomorrow. Well, that was a lie. She wasn't looking forward to the intense training, but doing it with Kurama made it slightly better. When she felt as though she had to give up, she wouldn't. For some reason, he made her keep going. She had told herself that she hated him for putting her through all of that, but in heart she knew that was a lie, too. She couldn't hate him. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't. She knew that he was only trying to help her. After all, he was the one trying to make it so that she didn't die when she just got within thirty feet of Daeva. No, she couldn't be mad at him.

But why couldn't she be mad at him? She got mad at a lot of people. Hell, she got mad at almost everyone. Why couldn't she get mad at him? Did she like him? No. She couldn't like him. That would cause way too many problems. At this rate, she was most likely going to die in the battle against Daeva. She needed to focus all her concentration on training, not fantasizing about her trainer.

But his eyes…

Just as she thought this, her door flew open. She sat up and noticed it was Ayano, trying to hide a grin and looking bothered by something. She walked in, shut the door, and ran over and jumped on Saya's bed.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…," she started worriedly, but smiling a bit at the same time. Saya wondered if she had finally gone insane.

"Ayano? What is it? What's going on?" Saya asked. She was getting worried about her best friend. Ayano bit her lip and looked down. She looked back up at Saya.

"Um…ok…where should I begin…," she wondered out loud. "Ok. Well, you know how Hiei and I were supposed to be training?" Saya nodded.

"Well…not much training went on at all…," Ayano said slowly. Saya sighed.

"…who did you kill?" she asked. Ayano laughed.

"Heh, nobody. I meant…Hiei and I…got uh, a little distracted…" Saya gasped.

"Ayano…," she started in disbelief.

"It started out innocent! We were fighting about how to summon my fire energy and before I knew it…he kissed me, and then, we were…on the ground….," Ayano explained, wincing, afraid of Saya's reaction. Saya screamed.

"YOU DIDN'T!"

"…we did…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OH MY GOD! YOU SLEPT WITH HIEI!?!?!?"

"Holy shit, Say, shut up! Do you have to tell the entire temple!?!?" Ayano whispered harshly, but was interrupted by Saya tackling her to the ground in a hug.

"OH MY GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! MY BFF IS ALL GROWN UP!!!" Saya half screamed, half cried. She eventually loosened her grip on Ayano, sat back and just looked at her.

"Pssh…I can't believe you lost your virginity before me…," she said sulking, then laughed. Ayano did the same.

"Ok, so I have to know…how was it?" Saya asked. Ayano just smiled. She was still processing the idea herself. She didn't really know what just happened, and she needed her best friend to help her understand the fact that she had indeed just had sex with a half fire half ice demon that she just met the day before.

The girls talked for an hour, until Kurama came to the door. The two instantly stopped and greeted Kurama.

"Just so you know, we will be eating dinner in ten minutes," he said.

"Mk, thanks, we'll be out soon," Saya said and smiled at the kitsune. He nodded, smiled and left.

"Ok, you definitely like him. I don't care what you say," Ayano accused, grinning.

"What? I can't like him, Ay. You know that," Saya said in her own defense.

"Yea, right, that's bull. You like him and you know it. He likes you too, so just go for it!"

"Haha, yea, go for it. Just like you did?" Saya teased. Ayano's jaw dropped and she grinned.

"Oh yea?" she tackled Saya to the ground and wrestled until she had Saya pinned. "Say you're sorry and that Ayano is the best person in the world and she so totally crunker than anyone."

"…is crunker even a word?" Saya asked, puzzled. Ayano tightened her grip on Say, giving her a painful reminder of the fire goddess reincarnation sitting on top of her.

"Say i-it."

"Alright… Ayano is the best person in the world and she so totally crunker than anyone. Now get off of me!" Ayano laughed and stood up. Saya did the same.

"Can we go eat now? I'm starved. I've been working out all day and I'm hungrier than I've been in my life. And you must be hungry too, after your eventful day…," Saya grinned. Ayano growled.

"Just go to dinner," she said.

------------------------------------------

Hiei didn't show up to dinner that night, much to Ayano's relief. She wanted to see him, but she knew it would be awkward, and she didn't want anyone to pick up on anything. The only person that she wanted to know about it was Saya, because she was her best friend. She hoped no one else would find out, especially not until she talked to Hiei about it.

During dinner, no one even brought up how their training went, which, again, Ayano was thankful for. Their discussion revolved around the lives of the spirit detectives. Saya and Ayano learned more about Kuwabara that night than they ever wanted to know…

After they ate, Yusuke suggested that they play DDR. Saya and Ayano immediately agreed; they did that all the time back home anyway. Kurama, Kuwabara, and Keiko also decided to play. Kurama and Keiko surprised everyone when they were able to beat Xepher (AN: don't own, sadly) on difficult with A's. Saya and Ayano stared at each other in shock. Ayano stood up and started a slow clap.

"Pssh, I see how it is," Ayano said as she sat down sulking when no one joined her. Saya burst out laughing and soon, everyone, including Ayano joined in. They continued to alternate play DDR until eleven, when they decided to get some sleep because of the long day of training they would have tomorrow. Ayano and Saya said goodnight to everyone and went to their rooms.

At night, both girls lay awake in their beds just thinking. All of this was still so new to them, yet it was almost second nature. These people that they had just met were already like family to them. Ayano, for example, already felt a strong connection to Yukina. Even though they were complete opposites, she felt like Yukina was like her younger sister and she needed to protect her. Saya and Yusuke had also developed a similar bond. He was like the protective older brother she never had. If there was ever a question whether they should've come here or not, these new relationships told them they made the right choice.

Ayano tossed and turned for hours that night. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was restless and wide awake. She knew she would never be able to fall asleep unless she was able to talk to him. She thought about if for a minute, and then decided it was something she had to do. She got out of bed and looked at her clock. 1:27 AM.

'Well, if I go out the front door it will probably wake up everyone else,' she thought to herself. She looked around her room and decided that her best bet was the window. She grabbed a pair of sandals, opened up the window and crawled out, not bothering to shut it behind her.

------------------

Hiei sat up on one of the lower branches of a tall tree near Genkai's temple. He didn't want to sleep, and even if he did, he knew he couldn't. It had been bugging him all day, but he just couldn't get up the courage to go talk to her about what had happened. He was too afraid she would say she regretted it, or that she wouldn't talk to him at all. If that was the case, he didn't know what he would do.

'Ugh, here we go, just what I didn't want to happen. You see? This is why I never involve my emotions in anything. It only leads to worry, paranoia, and heartbreak,' he thought to himself. Just then, he heard footsteps beneath him. He looked down to see who it was, although in reality he already knew who it was.

Ayano looked around her. She knew he was here, she could sense it. If she kept going, she knew she was getting further away, but if she backed up she wasn't close enough. Then it dawned on her, and she looked straight up. Sure enough, there was Hiei, sitting on a tree branch, looking down at her with a soft smile on his face. He motioned for her to come up, and after some intense battles with a few different tree branches, Ayano finally got up there. She sat next to him on the branch, but for about five minutes, neither of them said a word. All was quiet, except for the occasional bird flying or wolf howling.

Eventually, Ayano decided to break the silence.

"So…what's up?" she asked, immediately regretting her statement. They had just had sex that morning, and all she could say to him was 'what's up'? Pathetic.

Hiei just looked at her and smirked. He shook his head and laughed. Ayano laughed too. Somehow, they both knew what the other was thinking. Neither regretted what had taken place the last time they met, and both were glad they both felt that way.

Ayano shivered. Because she was in such a hurry to go talk to Hiei, she had neglected to grab a jacket. She silently cursed herself for being so stupid.

"You cold?" Hiei asked. She nodded. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. She leaned up against his chest and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

'Kami, this is so unlike me. What has this girl done to me? Does this mean I'm going to be nice to everyone now?' Hiei thought to himself. Thoughts of pain and misery aimed at Kuwabara brought a smile to his face. 'Haha, nope.'

-------------------------------------------

Tama: Yea…this was actually my worst chapter yet…I really hate this chapter to be quite honest.

Nori: Don't be so hard on yourself, it didn't suck that much.

Tama: …

Nori:

Tama: Anyways, be kind with your reviews please. I promise the next chapter will be better! I'm going to skip ahead a few weeks so that something interesting will actually take place! Don't stop reading!

Nori: They won't. They're too nice. They love you! And more importantly, they love me!

Audience: &glares at Nori& CHICKEN FIGHT! &instead of your typical chicken fight, audience members throw live chickens at Noriko&

Nori: AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Tama: &ignores the scene in front of her& I feel really bad for giving you guys such a shitty chapter! I promise to make up for it! Read and Review!


	5. Christmas and Captivity

Tama: Chapter five! I absolutely promise this one will be better than the last! I wanted to get further in the story than I was able to in that chapter, and I deeply apologize for that.

Nori: And I apologize that my awesomeness was not able to make it better…

Tama: -raises an eyebrow-

Nori: Haha jk, I'll do the disclaimer today.

Tama: Be my guest.

Nori: Tama doesn't own YYH or any of its characters, but she does own all the OCs and ideas.

Tama: Read like the wind!

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One month passed at Genkai's temple fairly quickly. It was Christmas day. (AN: Ayano's birthday was November 24th, and one day had passed when the last chapter ended, so a month from then would be December 25th. See? I didn't just make this stuff up. ) It had been decided to do a Secret Santa type thing. No one knew who was buying for who, with a few exceptions. Ayano had freaked out when she drew Kuwabara's name, so she told Saya so they could try to figure out what to get the socially challenged teen. They had all gone shopping the week before in pairs, so each person knew who their partner had, but other than that, they tried to keep it a secret.

Yukina and Keiko went shopping together. Yukina had Ayano and Keiko had drawn Saya. Their trip went fairly smoothly; they were back within an hour.

Yusuke and Kuwabara had a more…eventful time.

"_Hey, Urameshi," Kuwabara asked. The spirit detective turned to look at him. _

"_What?" he asked._

"_What about this for Yukina?" he asked. He held up a dark blue Goblin City t-shirt, grinning psychotically. Yusuke rolled his eyes. _

"_No, Kuwabara," he said and turned back to what he was doing. _

"_What?! Why? It's awesome!" Kuwabara protested. _

"'_Cause, you dumbass, chicks don't like that kind of stuff," Yusuke explained. "They like make up, and clothes, and…stuff like this." He held up a gold necklace with a diamond pendant in the shape of a heart. He grinned. "Perfect for Keiko."_

"_Ugh, great, you've got a gift for Keiko, what should I get Yukina!?!?" Kuwabara asked, exasperated. _

"_Get her a bracelet or something. Like that one," Yusuke suggested. He pointed to a gold bracelet lined with sapphires. _

"_Hey, that works," Kuwabara said and picked it up. They walked up to the cash register, paid, and realized that those two gifts just left them completely broke. _

"_Damnit, Urameshi, how are we supposed to go to the arcade now!?!?"_

Kurama and Saya went together, even though Saya had drawn Kurama's name. They just split up after Kurama had found a present for Hiei, which turned out to be new tools for sharpening his katana. Saya had a lot of trouble shopping for Kurama. She had no idea what to get him. What could she possibly get him? She knew she liked him, but she couldn't get him something that screamed that. It's not like they were together or anything. But she couldn't get him anything too casual either. That would seem like she saw them as just friends, which she definitely didn't. She was stuck.

'_Jesus, he shouldn't be this hard to buy for,' she thought to herself as she wandered the stores aimlessly, knowing she wouldn't find anything. Kurama was too good for material possessions. 'Hm, what to get him, what to get him…'_

_Then it dawned on her. Oh, she had thought of the perfect gift. He would love it. She smiled to herself._

'_One problem, I hope I can actually find one…,' she thought to herself. But she knew it would work. _

_Later, when she met up with Kurama, she noticed he had two bags in his hand, while she had none. _

"_Hey, how come you have two bags? I thought you were just buying for Hiei," Saya asked, playfully accusing him._

"_Well, I had to get something for my mother, too," he said and smiled. Saya nodded. Kurama breathed a sigh of relief and they left the mall. _

Perhaps the most interesting shopping trip was the one with Ayano and Hiei, mostly because it involved Hiei…at a mall…in public…with people…

"_Hn, what the hell are we doing here, baka Onna? We have better things to do," Hiei muttered to himself as he and Ayano walked into a sports store. Ayano knew this was dangerous, but she really didn't have a choice. She did, however, make him leave his katana at the temple. She realized that if he got pissed off, just being with out a weapon wouldn't stop him from causing serious damage, but at least it was something. She sighed._

"_I told you, Hiei, we have to get gifts for Yusuke and Kuwabara," she said, rather annoyed. She had argued with him for three hours to get him to come, and it resulted in a broken lamp, two broken windows, and lecture from Saya the next morning about angry sex. _

"_I know, I meant, why the hell are we wasting our time on them?" he stated simply. Ayano sighed again. This was going to be a long day. _

_It was pretty hard for Ayano to keep her cool that day. Usually, especially when she was with Saya, she was the one that needed controlling. She realized that it was hard work trying to keep someone else in line and prevent deaths to innocent bystanders. Actually, that experience made her feel kind of guilty that she had done that to Saya all these years….kinda. _

_Surprisingly though, Hiei wasn't that hard to handle. She had to tell him what to do most of the time, but for the most part, he listened to her. Over the past month, the "thing" between Ayano and Hiei had grown from a physical attraction to them actually caring about each other. Hiei was a lot less distant around her than he was with other people, although he was beginning to get better. He still hated Kuwabara with a passion, and pretty much only tolerated everyone else. And of course, he was still completely bloodthirsty. But his social skills were improving…very, very slightly._

_Eventually, they left the sports store and went into FYE (AN: don't own), a store for cds, DVDs, and video games. Considering Hiei was no help whatsoever, Ayano decided to get Yusuke the movie Fight Club (AN: don't own that either…a fact that makes me cry) since he was so into fighting. Plus, it was a great movie. She knew he would like it, although everyone would know Hiei wasn't the one who picked it out. Ayano smiled to herself. Yusuke was out of the way. Now came the fun part._

_Kuwabara's gift. _

_She had already picked up tons and tons of bandages for him, because he got hurt so often. So that was one part of his gift. She had talked to Saya the other night, and they brainstormed gag gifts for the orange haired teen. Some included guy on guy porn, tampons, and digitally edited photos of his and Hiei's heads edited onto the girls' bodies from Baywatch (AN: I don't own that either…but that, I'm somehow ok with…). But all had too many consequences. What they eventually decided on was equally as good. _

_Ayano dragged Hiei into the toy store and towards the back. As she stopped to find what she was looking for, Hiei leaned against the shelves. A small boy, about five or six, walked by and looked up at the hanyou. Hiei noticed, hned, and glared at the boy with such intensity. The boy's eyes went wide in terror. He screamed and ran off crying. _

_Hiei smirked. _

"_Got it!" Ayano said and held up the gift. Hiei raised an eyebrow. _

"_Onna, Kuwabara will hate that," he stated. He paused. "What is it anyway?"_

_Ayano grinned one of her crazy grins and skipped away to the cash register. Hiei just shook his head and followed._

By the time Christmas eventually came, all were anxious to give their gifts, some for different reasons that others. They gathered around the tree in Genkai's living room on Christmas morning that Saya, Ayano and Yusuke had begged her to get.

"How are we gonna do this?" Saya asked. "One at a time or all at once?" They all looked at each other, looked at the presents in their laps, looked back at each other, and began ripping the wrapping paper to shreds.

Ayano was done first. She had gotten a really nice sketchbook with a black leather cover and colored pencils from Yukina. She ran over and hugged the ice maiden. She knew her too well.

Yusuke was next. He thanked Ayano, because he had always wanted to see it. From the way she and Saya talked about it, it had to be good.

Keiko unwrapped her golden necklace and gazed in awe. She couldn't believe Yusuke had actually bought that for her, it must've cost a fortune! She tackled him to the ground.

"Oh, dear Kami, Yusuke, I love it!" she screamed in his ear. He grinned. He was completely broke, but it was worth it to see Keiko that happy.

Saya opened her present from Keiko: journals, pens and a silver bracelet with purple gems, the same color as her necklace. She couldn't stop thanking her, she loved it all. Finally, she could begin writing again.

Next, Yukina opened the bracelet from Kuwabara. She thanked him over and over again. She was always polite, but she genuinely loved this.

Hiei received tools for sharpening his katana from Kurama. He hned as a thank you.

Kurama was close to last, mostly because he was slightly confused as to why there were holes poked all over his present. And it seemed to be moving. He knew the gift was from Saya, so he looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Eh…heh…just open it," she said and bit her lip. He smiled and did as he was told. Underneath the wrapping paper was a cage, and inside was a little fox pup. It was orange with white tips on its ears and paws. Its black eyes looked up at Kurama in confusion, then it barked and began clawing at the cage. He growled and started gnawing at the bars.

Kurama's jaw dropped. "Saya…what in the world…"

"I didn't know what I should get you, and I was getting really frustrated. Then while I was at the mall, I remembered seeing this little guy alone out by the training grounds. He doesn't have a family, and I figured you would be great at taking care of him, plus he's absolutely adorable…," Saya explained quickly. Kurama smiled at her and opened the cage. The fox jumped up into Kurama's arms and cuddled up against his chest. Saya smiled. "I think he likes you."

Kurama grinned. He reached over, hugged Saya, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear. He couldn't have been happier with his gift.

Saya got butterflies.

Kuwabara had a very hard time with the wrapping paper, but that was because Ayano and Hiei purposely made it extremely difficult. They used duct tape, cardboard, and three roles of wrapping paper.

Once he finally got to his first gift, his jaw also dropped, but not from joy.

"WHAT THE HELL!?!? A FREAKEN KEN DOLL!?!?!?" Kuwabara yelled at the top of his lungs. (AN: I don't own Ken dolls either. Sorry guys.) "Ayano, what the hell?" He began to whine. Ayano was cracking up. Hiei was smirking, and everyone else began to laugh.

"Don't worry Kuwabara, there's something else for you too," Ayano told him once she had calmed down a bit. He sighed and unwrapped his second gift, while everyone watched in anticipation. Once he saw what it was, he was dumbfounded.

"…bandages?" he asked. Ayano nodded and grinned her crazy grin again.

"For when the rest of us kick your ass," she explained cheerfully. Kuwabara just stared at her in amazement. Then, he sulked. For a long time.

This put everyone else in a good mood.

For once, everyone just got to sit back, relax and hang out. Kurama and Saya played with Kurama's new pet. They had a long debate on what to name him. They finally decided that whichever he responded to first would work. It turned out that he felt he was a Niichi, because Yukina sneezed and he ran over to her. When she sneezed, they all said that it sounded like she said Niichi, so the fox's name became Niichi.

Yusuke and Keiko were getting along for about twenty minutes before Yusuke yet again screwed it up. Since then, it was nonstop arguing. But occasionally, they would flash each other a smile. Ayano was beginning to see that they had a relationship that was a lot like hers and Hiei's. She smirked.

After he finished sulking, Kuwabara spent all his time flirting with Yukina, who still seemed very uncomfortable with the whole thing. Hiei spent his time glaring at the ningen.

Ayano, when she wasn't making jokes about Kuwabara, spent most of her time observing. Her main observation involved her best friend. There was no way Saya and Kurama could deny it much longer. Both were too shy to admit it, but they had each fallen in love with the other. Anyone could tell, simply by the way they looked at each other. Why couldn't they see it themselves?

She also noticed that even though it had only been a month, she couldn't imagine her life without these people. Every single one of them, even Kuwabara. They were family now. It would break her heart if she ever had to leave them.

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It was after lunch when Saya stood up.

"I'll be right back, it's getting kinda hot in here. I'm gonna go outside for a minute," she explained. They nodded and she went out the back door towards the training grounds.

A thick blanket of snow covered the ground. The only reason Saya knew she had reached the training grounds was because she tripped while stepping up onto the slightly raised cement flooring. It was snow covered, so when she reached down to break her fall, her hand plunged right into the snow.

"Ugh, great," she mumbled as she pulled her freezing cold hand out of the snow. Not only was she not properly dressed for weather like this, but now her hand was freezing cold.

She wasn't even sure what dragged her out there in the first place. She just felt like right then, she had to be there. She began to think, and realized that her birthday was only six days away. Six days until she got her powers and her training could really begin. She was still worried about the fact that she was going to be far behind Ayano in the preparedness category. She knew that she was going to have to work her ass off if she wanted even the slightest chance of surviving in the battle against Daeva. She sighed. She felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders right now.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun around and looked, but there was no one there. Hoping it was just an animal, she tried to ignore it. But that was impossible. She knew she wasn't the only one outside right then.

Before she could even realize what was going on, a hand had covered her mouth from behind. She tried to scream, but she was so scared that no sound came out. She heard whispers from behind her, and she didn't recognize the voices. Other than a sharp pain in her head, that was the last thing she remembered before she became unconscious.

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Tama: Cliffy!!!

Nori: Yea, you like cliffhangers don't you?

Tama: -grins- Yupp.

Nori: -nods- Me too.

Tama: I think this chapter was better than the last. Not great, but better. Read and Review please!

Nori: No flames!


	6. Cell Mates

Tama: Chapter Six! Well, let's get straight to it then, shall we? I don't own YYH or any of its characters, but I do own my OCs and situations. And I just remembered! I don't think I made this clear. Just for the record, so no one gets confused (I was confusing myself), Aurora and Diemos and all of the goddesses lived before the time that the Makai barrier was put up. So they lived their social lives as humans, but had the power of demons. I hope that got rid of any confusion! Read now!

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When fifteen minutes had gone by and Saya wasn't back yet, Kurama began to get worried. It was below freezing outside, and she shouldn't be outside in that cold for that long.

By the time a half an hour had passed, he knew something had happened. There was no way she would willingly stay out in this weather that long. He had learned from training her that she absolutely hated the cold and would avoid it in all ways possible.

"Hey, guys, I'll be right back," Kurama said as he stood up. He turned and walked out, with Niichi right on his heels. Once Kurama was out of earshot, Keiko spoke up.

"Aw, that's so cute! He's worried about her!" she exclaimed and squealed. "Oh, I can't wait until they finally get together!" Ayano smiled. She was right. She wasn't the only one who saw it.

That smile quickly turned to a frown. She realized how long it had been since Saya had left. She had a terrible feeling in her gut, but she kept telling herself that everything was fine, nothing happened. It couldn't have.

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Kurama knew Saya had left through the back doors, but he didn't know where she went after that. He decided that his best bet was to go to where she went most often. That was either the beach or the training grounds. At the moment, he was closer to the training grounds, so he decided to go there first.

Soon, he discovered a subtle set of footprints. If he didn't follow them quickly, they would get entirely covered with snow. He ran as fast as he could, following the trail.

He was about fifteen feet away from the training grounds when he noticed something strange. There were two more sets of footprints coming from the left that eventually lined up with Saya's. Kurama gasped.

"Oh no," he whispered under his breath. Niichi looked up at him, confused. Kurama ran to wear the footprints stopped. He looked down, and sure enough, there were light traces of blood. He looked to his left and noticed drag marks next to more footprints.

He gritted his teeth and kicked the snow.

"Damnit!" he yelled in frustration. He knew something was wrong. He should've listened to himself sooner. He took a deep breath.

'Nothing's going to get done if you're this upset, calm down,' he told himself.

&Yea really, we've learned this the hard way& Youko piped in.

'Youko, do you have any ideas?' Kurama asked. Youko grinned to himself. Kurama sighed, knowing what he wanted. He allowed the silver fox to take over. Once he had transformed, Niichi wanted nothing to do with him. He ran off into the woods.

Youko ran back to the temple at top speed. He knew if he wanted to find Saya fast, he could cover more territory with more people.

As soon as Ayano heard the door fly open, she knew that something had gone wrong. She stood up and raced towards the door, colliding with Youko at full force, both getting knocked down.

"Ah, Jesus Christ, watch where you're going would you?" Youko complained, rubbing his head.

"Where's Saya?" Ayano asked, frantic, as she stood up. Youko did the same.

"That's why I'm here. She's missing. I found blood…," he explained. All Ayano heard was the word blood. Blood. Saya's blood, no doubt. She mentally killed herself for not knowing soon enough to help her. Within seconds, everyone was in the hall by the door. Youko explained to all of them what he had seen. He told them that there was no point in looking around here. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Daeva and her crew who had taken her, and that they most likely took her to demon world.

"Yusuke, Hiei, Ayano and I will go to Makai to search there," Youko said. "And just in case I'm wrong, Keiko, Yukina, and Kuwabara, stay here."

"Hey! I wanna go to demon world, too! You can't make me stay here!" Kuwabara protested.

"Well, just think, Kuwabara. What if the people who took Saya show up here? We need someone semi-strong to look after Keiko and Yukina here…," Yusuke explained. He didn't really mean that, but it would get Kuwabara to stay behind.

"Of course! For Yukina, my love, I will stay and protect!" he said heroically and grabbed Yukina's hands, completely missing the "semi" part. Hiei fumed as Ayano dragged him out of the temple.

The four raced off to where Botan was waiting for them with the portal to Makai. As they ran, Kurama's voice made one last statement to the silver fox.

'You let anything happen to her, Youko, I swear to god, I'll kill us both,' he threatened. Youko sighed.

&Don't worry, you baka. As long as we still have a pulse, we will protect her. What happened last time will not happen again&

That statement confused Kurama. Last time? But he let it go. They had more important things to worry about.

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Saya slowly opened her eyes, only to see more darkness. The only light was moonlight shining in through a window above her head. Speaking of head, hers was aching. It was bearable, but it was annoying. She was more focused on the pain in her wrists. She had puncture wounds, most likely from nails, because of the grip marks on her wrists and forearms.

'What happened? I don't remember anything…,' she thought to herself. Kneeling, she rubbed her wrists.

"Hey, do you need me to take a look at that?" a male voice from beside her made her jump about three feet. She thought she was alone. She hadn't expected a sound.

She whipped her head around. The darkness made it hard to see perfectly, but she could get a pretty good idea of what he looked like. Although he was sitting, he looked tall, about Kurama's height maybe. He had shaggy blonde hair, with dirty blonde lowlights. His eyes were light, maybe grey, but she couldn't really tell in the dark. He had a silver earring looped through his left earlobe. His clothes were a bit strange, all of which were rather dirty. He wore pants that reminded Saya a lot of Youko's, except that they were dark brown. He wore a baggy, long sleeved, off-white shirt that opened in a V, showing off part of his muscular chest. He had brown sandals, and Saya noticed a scar on his left cheek. In general, he was very good-looking.

Saya just sat there, rather dumbfounded. Her mouth was still agape. She wasn't sure if it was his attractiveness or simply the fact that he had caught her so off guard that amazed her, but nevertheless, he did. He smiled.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, with a slight laugh. Saya finally snapped out of it.

"Hm? What? Oh, no. I-I'm sorry, I was just a little, um…taken aback, let's say," she explained, embarrassed. Suddenly it dawned on her. "Hey, where are we anyway? Who are you?"

The man sighed. He looked straight ahead.

"We, my friend, are in a dungeon. And that," he pointed up at the window. "…that is the only source of light you see in here." Saya's eyes widened. Dungeon?

She looked around her and sure enough, they were in a jail cell. They had three walls of dirt and one of iron bars. They had one barred window. That was it. Saya gulped. What was she doing here?

"And as for your second question, my name's Kijirou. I'm a master of wind," he grinned. "Well, the only one left, anyway. And if I'm in here much longer, the ability to control the wind will be completely gone."

"What do you mean?" Saya asked.

"Well, there used to be two of us, a girl and myself. She was killed long ago. Daeva says she's been reincarnated but…" For about the fiftieth time that day, Saya was in shock.

"Did….did you just say Daeva?" she asked. He nodded.

"Who do you think put us in here?" he said. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. Saya couldn't believe it. He had to be lying, he just had to be. There was no way Daeva could've come for her this soon. No way. She didn't even have her powers yet. And she didn't have Ayano either, that she knew of. And where was Kurama? He promised he would prepare her for this. But her she was, sitting in Daeva's dungeon, weak as weak could be. Kurama…

A silent tear slid down her cheek. She was so frustrated. She was supposed to have months before she met Daeva. She was scared. She knew that alone, here, she would die.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly. He reached up and wiped away her tear. At his touch, a bright light flashed before her eyes.

"_Come on, Aurora! We don't have all day! It's gonna be dark soon!" _

"_Coming!" Aurora yelled back. Her fiancée was already out of sight, wanting to get back to the castle as soon as possible. She raced after him, grinning. _

"_Kijirou wait up! It's hard to run in heels!" she called. She could hear him laugh, but he stopped. Once she had caught up, she didn't stop running. She ran straight into him, tackling him to the ground. He grunted as he hit the ground, then laughed. She giggled, then kissed him softly on the lips. She glanced over to her left and noticed a small spring. _

"_Hey, let's go swimming!" she whispered and jumped up. She took off her shoes, skirt and top and dove into the water, barely dressed. Kijirou rolled his eyes. He stood up and stripped down as well and followed her lead. _

"_What's with this sudden impulse?" he asked as he swam out to her. "What's gotten into you?" She grinned mischievously. Kijirou raised an eyebrow. She smiled and kissed him. It immediately deepened as she pushed him up onto a river bank. Kijirou was right. What had gotten into her? _

Kijirou was just staring at Saya, confusion in his eyes. She looked back at him. Sure enough, he was the same Kijirou in the flashback. She knew she must've remembered something from Aurora, which meant…Aurora was involved with this guy? Saya quickly shook it off. For some reason, she didn't want him to know that she was Aurora's reincarnation. She had to keep her cool.

"Oh, uh, I was just remembering, I don't think I've introduced myself yet. I'm Saya," she said. "I'm, uh, human."

'Good,' she thought to herself. 'Right now you are human, that's not a lie.'

"Really?" he asked, rather shocked. "You give off a demonic…no, not demonic…some sort of aura. I'm not sure what. But it's not human." Saya shrugged and bit her lip. How could she be giving off an aura if she hadn't gotten her powers yet?

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from outside their cell. Saya and Kijirou looked at each other for an explanation, but neither of them had one. They stood and walked over to the bars. Saya's heart beat faster as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs just to the right of the cell.

"Shit," Kijirou mumbled. "I suggest you get as far away from the bars as possible. Trust me." Saya looked at him with questioning eyes, and he nodded. The two pressed their backs to the back wall, just waiting to find out whoever it was that was paying them a visit.

And Saya had a feeling that whoever it was wouldn't be welcome.

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Tama: Chapter six, finis!

Nori: That was short.

Tama: Yea, I decided to cut it short, cuz I already know how I'm gonna start the next chapter. So it'll be up soon! …hopefully…

Nori: Read and Review!

Tama, Kurama and Hiei: No flames!


	7. Searching

Tama: Chapter seven! You guys have so idea how stoked I am!

Nori: I think this is the furthest you've ever come with a story, isn't it?

Tama: Yupp! I usually give up by now! But I can't do that with this and my other story, I'm too involved!

Nori: I'm super proud biatch.

Tama: Why, thank you, biznatch. Hey, I know! Let's have Kuwabara do the disclaimer for once!

Kuwabara: What? Why me?

Tama: Because I said so, and I'm writing this story. So what I say goes. Be careful, I control your fate here. You wouldn't want an untimely death, now, would you?

Kuwabara: -groans- Tamarae doesn't own YYH or its characters, but she does own the OCs and situations.

Tama: -grins- Thank you! Read now, loves!

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"Ok, well, now what?" Ayano asked, out of breath. They had stopped after what seemed like endless running. Two and a half hours had passed since Saya had gone missing. They were in the heart of demon world. It had been easy following Saya's trail. Up until now. Youko had been following her scent, but it was getting fainter by the minute, most likely due to the rain that had started to fall.

"Damnit!" Youko exclaimed and kicked a random pile of dirt that was slowly becoming mud. He was getting frustrated. He knew it would be nearly impossible to find her if he couldn't follow her scent. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Hey, fox," Hiei said. Youko looked at him. Hiei pointed straight ahead. It was a large fortress type building, made of stone. Yusuke, Ayano and Youko sweatdropped.

"…Oh," he said simply. "Let's go." The four took off in the direction Hiei had pointed, knowing without a doubt that that's where they would find Saya.

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Saya took a deep breath as a shadowy figure turned the corner and stood about ten feet away from their cell. All she could see was a slight smirk.

As the person took a few steps closer, Saya could clearly see she was a woman. She had short black hair, only down to her chin. Her eyes were equally as black. She wore darkly overdramatic eye makeup and dark red lipstick. She wore a long hooded black cloak that had one button just below her chest over a pair of black shorts and a black corset. She had a mystique about her that was interesting, yet at the same time terrifying. Any doubt in Saya's mind that this was the person who had killed her in another life was erased at that moment.

Saya's bright blue eyes opened wide from fear as the woman reached out her hand, gently stroking Saya's cheek with the back of her fingers. She tried to speak, to ask what she was doing, but no words came out. The woman smiled.

"Oh, Aurora, what happened to those gorgeous green eyes?" she asked softly, then making a deep scratch across Saya's cheek. Saya's hand flew up to her new cut. She drew it away to reveal blood. The woman laughed.

"Well, little girl, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm Daeva. I'm sure you've heard a lot about me," she grinned. "Welcome to my domain."

Saya glared. Kijirou spoke up.

"What the hell are you talking about, Daeva?" he asked, irritated. "For the thousandth time, Aurora is dead. She has been for a long time." Daeva smirked.

"You know, Kijirou, you're dumber than I thought," she stated. "You mean you really don't see it? Take a good look at her." Kijirou looked at Daeva, then at Saya. He squinted his eyes, then opened them wide.

"…I was right. Your aura isn't human. You really are…," he started.

"Yes, it's her, the girl that broke your heart. The one you gave everything to, but she just turned and walked away from you." Daeva looked Saya in the eyes. "Isn't that right?" Saya looked back at her with hate. She had no idea what she was talking about, but she did know that Daeva was trying to get Kijirou to turn against her. And that pissed her off.

Daeva smiled. "Well, I'll leave you two to talk." She turned and walked back up the stairs.

Saya looked down at the ground. She didn't have to look at him to know that his eyes were filled with shock, hurt and hatred. All aimed at her.

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Koenma looked up from his paperwork, only to find a distraught ferry girl standing before him. He about jumped three feet.

"Botan!" he exclaimed. "You scared me half to death. I didn't even hear you come in." Botan mumbled an apology, looking at her feet. Koenma was worried. "Hey, Botan, what's the matter? Whose soul did you have to bring across the River Styx this time?"

Botan looked up at him, and he could see she had tears in her eyes. She bit her lip.

"…It's Saya," she started. "Daeva….she's got her." Koenma's eyes widened.

"What? She wasn't supposed to do anything yet. Saya hasn't even gotten her powers yet, has she?" Koenma said, shocked. Botan shook her head slowly. "Damn…how did you find out?"

"Yusuke contacted me through his communicator. I guess he and the rest of them were celebrating Christmas at Genkai's and Saya went out for some air. They said she was out for half an hour and didn't come back. So Kurama went to check on her, and he said he found blood and drag marks. They contacted me immediately after that, and I let them through the portal to demon world," she explained. "I know I should've asked you first, but it was an emergency and…"

"No, you were right. I would've done the same thing," Koenma replied. He ran his fingers through his rather short brown hair. He had been staying in his teenage form lately. He thought it was easier. "Botan, do you know how long it's been since Saya was taken?"

"A little more than two hours," she answered. "Koenma…" He looked up at her. "You…you think she'll be ok, don't you?" Koenma sighed.

"I sure hope so."

--------------------------------------

Another half an hour passed in the jail cell. They had sat down, and Saya hadn't looked at Kijirou once. Even when she turned her back to him, she felt his eyes burn in the back of her head. She felt horrible, and she hadn't even done anything!

'Jeez, it was that stupid Aurora chick that cheated on you, not me!' she thought to herself. She sighed. She had to say something, the silence was killing her.

"Look, I know you probably hate me right about now," she began.

'Yea, that was a great way to start things off. If he wasn't thinking about hating me then, I'm sure he is now.' She shrugged it off.

"But listen to me. I'm not Aurora. Well, I am. But not really. I mean, I guess I have her soul. But I don't even have her power or attitude or anything!" she told him, very quickly by the way. She finally turned to look at him. She noticed him looking at the ground, smiling. He looked up at her.

"I could never hate Aurora. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't. Don't worry," he laughed. "I don't hate you." Saya sighed. That was a relief.

--------------------------------------------------

Ayano drove each of her katanas into two different demons guarding the fortress. With a scream of pain, they each fell to the floor. Ayano sighed. They had been doing this for at least twenty minutes, and she was sure she had killed at least forty demons by now, not including the ones Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei had gotten a hold of. She was surprised how easily it came to her. When she came across her first opponent at the gate, she was terrified. What if she lost? What if she couldn't bring herself to kill someone? But, without hesitation, it was as if there was an invisible force guiding her hands. It was very easy to kill, and she didn't have to think about it at all. She couldn't even remember doing it. She remembered raising her weapons and then drawing them back, but not the actual blow itself. That had to have been Diemos' doing.

Ayano decapitated another demon that came her way. She looked around her. All she saw was her comrades and several corpses. She breathed a sigh of relief.

'Good,' she thought to herself. 'At least we all made it this far in one piece.'

Hiei looked at her and nodded, as if he was commending her on her good work. She smiled. It made her happy that Hiei was proud of her. Her thoughts of pride, however, were interrupted by an outburst from the head spirit detective.

"God Damnit!" he yelled, punching a giant hole in the wall with the help of his spirit energy. "We've looked through just about this entire place, and we still haven't found Saya! Where the hell is she?" Not only was he frustrated, he was really beginning to get worried. Over the past month, Saya had become like the little sister that he never had to him. He was kicking himself so hard for the fact that he wasn't there to help her. He knew Kurama felt the same way, but for different reasons. He looked up at the silver kitsune and sighed. "Now what?"

Youko looked at the spirit detective. He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze resting on a flight of stairs that went down. He looked back up at Yusuke, Hiei and Ayano. All at once, the four nodded and raced down the stairs.

---------------------------------------------------

Saya rubbed her hand. Even hours after the fact, it was still cold from when she fell in the snow. And she was feeling rather sick. She stared off into space, thinking about what had happened not long ago.

She had finally met the new threat to humanity, who just so happened to have Saya as her target. Daeva wanted Saya dead, and now that she had her locked away in a jail cell in her dungeon, that could definitely happen. This should've been enough to scare the living crap out of Saya, and for awhile, it was. After Daeva had left, all she could do was sit in the corner and shake from fear. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she wasn't really afraid of Daeva. She was beginning to hate the woman, but she didn't fear her. Maybe it was Aurora's influence on her, but she felt a connection to Daeva. She felt as if she had known her her whole life. Well, in a way, she had. But no, Saya wasn't afraid of her.

A wave of panic went over her, though, as she reached up to her neck. Her necklace was gone.

Gone.

Had Daeva taken it?

No.

She couldn't have.

Could she?

'Damnit! Koenma is going to fucking kill me if he finds out!' she thought to herself. Then it hit her. If Daeva had her pendant and could open up the gates of hell, why hadn't she done it yet? I mean, if hell had been uncovered, surely there would be some tell tale signs. Like, oh, I don't know, maybe the utter destruction of the rest of the world? But, there was nothing.

Why was she hesitating?

She looked over at Kijirou and noticed he had fallen asleep. Leaned up against the wall, he had one leg spread out and the other bent. His arm stretched across his knee and he laid his head on his shoulder. His shaggy blonde hair fell in his face.

Had he taken it?

No, she doubted it. He didn't really have the opportunity to do it, and he really seemed like he was a good guy.

What the hell had happened to it?

---------------------------------------

"Hey, Yukina," Keiko called to the ice maiden. "Come look at this." Yukina met Keiko near the Christmas tree.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Isn't this Saya's necklace?" Keiko held out the stone. It was attached to a broken string. Yukina nodded.

"It must've broken while we were opening gifts or something," she replied. Keiko nodded.

"We should tell Koenma. That way he won't have a heart attack when Saya tells him its missing…"

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After their race down the stairs, Ayano, Hiei, Yusuke and Kurama were faced with another obstacle. They had a choice of three directions to go, and they could hear people behind them.

"Well, I think our only choice is to split up," Youko said. The rest nodded. "I'll go straight. Yusuke go to the right, Ayano go to the left. Hiei, you stay here and fight off whatever comes down those stairs. Everyone meet back here once you've checked all you can check."

"Alright, let's go then!" Yusuke exclaimed. They had to be getting close. He, Youko and Ayano took off and left Hiei to his favorite pastime: killing things.

---------------------------------------

"Hey, Saya?" Kijirou asked. Saya looked at him.

"What?" she asked. He had recently woken up, and they hadn't really said much to each other.

"Do you remember anything? You know, from Aurora?" She was silent for a minute.

"Well, I don't really know anything yet. I don't even have her powers yet," she replied. "But I did have a small flashback." He waited for her to explain, but she wouldn't.

"What was it about?" he asked. She sighed. She didn't really want to tell him, but he wasn't really leaving her much choice…

"Uh…well….you were in it actually," she replied. "We were…I mean, you and Aurora were, you guys were running somewhere and then you went swimming…"

"Heh, was that the time that you…er…Aurora just randomly took her clothes off and dove into the spring when she knew we were going to be late?" he asked with a chuckle. Saya laughed a little and nodded. He laughed some more. "Yea, that was Ror for you…you never knew what to expect with her…"

Saya smiled at him. Just like with Daeva, she felt such a strong connection to him. It frustrated her that she didn't know anything more about him, or herself for that matter.

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Tama: OH MY GOD! FINALLY! After more than three months, yes, THREE MONTHS, of not posting a new chapter, I'm finally done!

Nori: Holy shit, has it really been that long?

Tama: Yes, and I'm so sorry! I feel so bad. But here it is, and I promise that from now on, I will try to be better. That is, if anyone will read it anymore…anyways, read and review please!

Nori: No flames!


	8. Hear Your Voice Again

Tama: Chapter eight!

Nori: Wow, I never thought you'd get this far!

Tama: Hah! Neither did I! I'm proud of myself!

Nori: I'm proud too. Shocked, but proud.

Tama: Disclaimer, please…hm…-thinks for a minute- Karasu!

Everyone in studio: Karasu!?!?!?

Karasu: Karasu?

Tama: Yes, Karasu. I can't remember the last time you had to do a disclaimer for anyone.

Karasu: -sighs- Ok, fine. Tamarae doesn't own YYH or any of its characters, but she does own all of her OCs and situations. –sighs again- Can I go back to bed now?

Tama: Yea, yea, fine. –mutters- Stupid, lazy…

Karasu: What?

Tama: -grins innocently- Nothing, nothing. Anyways, onto the fic!

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Ayano, Youko and Yusuke ran all throughout the dungeon, looking for Saya. The further they ran, the more frustrated they began to get.

Ayano was the first to reach the end of her path. After passing hundreds of jail cells and torture chambers, she felt sick to her stomach. Apparently, no one liked to clean up after themselves here, because most of the things she had seen were covered in blood. There were a few bodies here and there, and at the end, there was a giant pile of decomposing corpses and skeletons. It was as if they just dumped them all at one end of the fortress.

Just to be sure, Ayano quickly surveyed the pile of the dead and, much to her relief, didn't see her friend. After a quick sigh of relief, she turned and ran to meet up with the others again.

--------------

Youko was having the same luck. He reached the end of his path, marked by a brick wall. He, too, passed several cells; all crowded with low class demons. He scanned every single cell, and couldn't find Saya. He cursed under his breath, turned around and went back towards the stairs.

--------------

The same seemed to occur with Yusuke. As he wandered the hall, he could feel several demonic auras. It was hard to determine if there were any humans in the mix.

All he could rely on was sight. So he looked and looked, but he couldn't seem to find her either. Just as he was about to give up and turn back (Yusuke was never one for finishing tasks…), he heard a giggle coming from ahead of him.

Yusuke knew immediately that it was her. He took off running, grinning from ear to ear.

----------------------------------

"You mean to tell me that in a past life, I, of all people, was a frickin doctor?!!?!" Saya asked, in shock. "Blood makes me dizzy!" Saya had no idea how long they'd been the dungeon together, and to be honest, she had given up hope of trying to keep track. By the looks of it, she was going to be there awhile. She wondered what Kurama, Yusuke, Ayano and all of them were doing right now. Did they even know she was gone?

She shook off that thought. It was too hard to think about. She turned her attention back to Kijirou. He smiled.

"Yea, Ror was quite the healer. She started doing that after her father was killed. They all left the palace and were left to fend for themselves. Even with the money Ryozo and I made from fighting, plus the money she made from healing and the money Di managed to steal from people, we made just enough to get by," he replied. "It didn't really matter, though. We were happy." Saya looked at him with confusion.

"Who's Ryozo?" she asked. She had learned a lot from Kijirou about the lives of Diemos and Aurora, but she had never heard of anyone named Ryozo.

"Ryozo was Diemos' mate," he explained. "Yea, he was quite the rebel. His family was almost as powerful as Di and Ror's, but he was pretty much disowned when he challenged his own father to a death match." They both laughed a bit. "He died, though. Soon after they did. I think he committed suicide, but I was never sure. He just couldn't take being without Diemos."

"That sucks…," Saya replied. Kijirou nodded. 'Jeez, life really sucks for him. Pretty much everyone he ever cared about is dead…'

"By the way, Saya," Kijirou started. "I think there's something you should know about…hey, do you hear that?" He looked over towards the bars. Saya listened, and she heard it, too. But before she could pinpoint the sound, someone had stopped right in front of their cell. At first, Saya was too shocked to realize who stood before her, but after the figure cried out her name in excitement, she knew immediately who it was.

"Yusuke!" she exclaimed as she raced over to the bars. She had never been so happy to see the spirit detective. "Dear Kami! What are you doing here!?!?"

He looked at her like she had grown three heads. "I always heard Makai was really pleasant this time of year so I thought I'd pay my favorite dungeon a visit." She laughed. Yusuke began trying to unlock the cell.

"I meant, how did you find me?" she asked, grinning.

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to work on getting you out of here," he replied, still struggling with the lock. He was trying to use a bobby pin to pick it. Saya made a mental note of several ways to mock him about that later.

"There's no point," Kijirou informed them as he, too approached the bars. "These locks are too strong to break." Yusuke jumped a bit. Apparently he hadn't noticed another person in the jail cell.

"Who's he?" he asked Saya, but kept his glare focused on Kijirou, as if to tell him not to fuck with him. Whoever this guy was, he didn't like the fact that he was in there with Saya.

"That's Kijirou," Saya told him. When Yusuke continued his death glare, she began to get frustrated. She was glad that Yusuke felt like her older brother and that he had to protect her, but he needed to trust her right now. "Come on, Yusuke, don't worry about him. We need to find a way to break us out of here." Finally, he turned his attention back to the lock, occasionally looking back up at the blonde man to make sure he wasn't trying anything.

Eventually, Yusuke gave up.

"Alright, screw this!" he exclaimed. "Saya, get back." He pointed his finger. Saya did as she was told and motioned for Kijirou to do the same. They watched as a ball of blue light formed on the tip of his index finger.

"Spirit Gun!" he called as the light left his finger and destroyed the lock. Saya and Kijirou helped move the barred door out of the way. Saya watched Yusuke and Kijirou have another quick staring contest.

"Come on, let's go," he said and started to run back the way he came. Saya followed, looking back at Kijirou.

"Come on," she said, and smiled slightly. He nodded and followed.

"Yusuke, how did you get in here?" Saya asked as they ran.

"Botan opened a portal for us. Kurama said he was almost positive you were in Makai," Yusuke replied without looking back.

"Kurama?" she asked.

"Yea, he went to check on you after you left and saw blood and shit, so him, me, Hiei and Ayano all came here to look for you," he explained. Saya smiled to herself. Kurama did care about her…

"Aw, great," Yusuke muttered to himself. They skidded to a halt. Straight ahead were more of Daeva's warriors. There had to be at least fifty of them. Yusuke groaned.

"Hey, blondie," he called back. "Can you fight?" He wasn't really in a hurry to befriend this guy, but he didn't really have a choice. Saya didn't have her powers yet. Sure, she could fight with a sword, but she didnt have one. And Yusuke didn't really want to fight them on his own.

"Yea, I can fight," Kijirou responded. Yusuke nodded.

"Saya, stay here," he told her. "Let's go!" They charged at them. Saya sighed in annoyance. She really wished her birthday would hurry up. She was sick of being useless.

She watched as Yusuke and Kijirou quickly demolished a small part of Daeva's army. After all had dropped dead, Yusuke motioned for her to follow once again. She cringed as she stepped over body after body. Yusuke just chuckled and shook his head.

-----------------------------------------

Hiei had made quick work of his opponents. Dead bodies surrounded him. After he realized that he had finished off everyone that was going to come down those stairs, he sat down on the bottom step and began to wipe the blood off of his katana. He sighed. He had hoped for a little bit of a challenge.

The first one back was Youko. Breathing heavily from running, he didn't need to say anything for Hiei to know he hadn't found anything.

Ayano also came back alone. She was slightly more frustrated though.

"Damn! You didn't find her either?" she yelled. "Ugh!" She sat down next to Hiei and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't believe it. Where else could she possibly be?

Meanwhile, Kurama had had enough. He managed to take over his body again, getting rid of the silver fox.

'I gave you your chance, and you did nothing. Shut up and let me handle it now,' he told the bandit. The redhead stopped to think. 'Alright, if she's not with Yusuke, I don't know where else she could possibly be. Unless she's still in Ningenkai…'

"Guys!" Yusuke's voice snapped him out of her thoughts. "Guys!" Ayano and Hiei stood up. They all looked to the right to the spirit detective being followed by a familiar brunette and a blonde man they had never seen before.

"SAYA!" Ayano shouted at the top of her lungs. She took off running and tackled her best friend to the ground. "Oh my god! I hate you so much right now! Never ever EVER make me think you're dead EVER again!"

"Jesus, Ay, get off of me!" she exclaimed and pushed her BFF off. They stood and looked at each other. Saya smiled and wrapped her friend in a bear hug.

Kurama breathed a huge sigh of relief and grinned. She was safe, that's all that mattered.

"Who's he?" Hiei asked coldly, pointing at Kijirou. Saya pulled away and walked over to the blonde.

"His name's Kijirou," she said. "He's mastered the wind element, and he knew Aurora. He could probably help me." She waited for everyone's response. Ayano walked over to him and studied him for a minute, circling the poor guy. She stopped in front of him and grinned one of her crazy grins.

"The name's Ayano. Welcome to the gang!" she exclaimed and held up her hand. Everyone sweatdropped.

Suddenly, there was an explosion from upstairs, followed by screams and battle cries.

"Uh, do you think that's for us?" Yusuke asked. They all looked at each other.

"How are we getting out of here?" Saya asked.

"The same way we came in," Kurama said and took off up the stairs. Saya shrugged and did the same, the rest right on her heels.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, they were face to face with another part of Daeva's army. This time, though, there were more like three hundred of them. Saya's eyes widened.

"Uh...are you sure there's no other way out?" she asked hesitantly. They all stared at their opponants.

"Hey, Ayano, give Saya one of your katanas. You can fight with just one, right?" Kurama asked. Ayano nodded and tossed one of her swords to her friend.

"Thanks," Saya replied. Looking down at the katana, she wondered if she would be able to remember anything Kurama taught her when she needed it most. She sure hoped so.

Yusuke stepped up to the front.He turned around to look at his team. They all nodded to him.

"Alright," he said and smirked. "Let's do this."

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Tama: Yay! I'm done with chapter eight!

Nori: Good job, yo.

Tama: Thanks, that only took me a day to do. I'm on a roll!

Nori: Congrats!

Tama: Yea, it was scary, though, guys. Microsoft locked all of my documents! I was this close to losing everything I had written for this chapter, which I was almost done with! But luckily, I found my way around it. Now I have to use wordpad, which is fine. Except for the fact that it doesn't have a spell check. So I apologize in advance for any spelling errors!

Nori: I'll help edit!

Everyone in studio and audience: Oh no...

Nori: -glares-

Tama: Anyways, read and review!

Nori: No flames!


	9. Back Where I Long to Be

Tama: Chapter nine!

Nori: Holy crap, you're really moving here!

Tama: I know! I'm amazed!

Nori: Aren't we all...

Tama: -grins- Well, onto the disclaimer now. I'll do it now, since I'm in such a good mood. I don't own YYH or any of its characters, sadly. But all of the OCs and situations are mine.

Nori: Yayyyy! Can I say it?

Tama: Go for it.

Nori: Sickk. Get it on!

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Saya cringed as she felt her blade pierce the skin of her opponent. He grunted as he fell to the floor. She didn't have time to think, though, because she had more people to take down.

To her left, Ayano was destroying them easily. She had kind of gotten the hang of the whole killing thing during their search for Saya.

Both girls were doing better than they had expected, and they were proud of that.

The six fighters had been fighting for about two minutes, when suddenly, an idea dawned on Yusuke.

"Why the hell didn't I think of this earlier?" he yelled at himself. "Hey, guys! Stand back!" The five of them looked at each other, then at Yusuke and did as they were told.

The young spirit detective pointed his finger and let hundreds of blue balls of light strike Daeva's army. "SHOTGUN!" he shouted. Kurama, Saya, Ayano, Hiei and Kijirou sweatdropped as the entire army fell to the ground.

"Wait! You mean to tell me that you could've done that all along, but instead, you risked all of our lives by having us fight them!?!?" Ayano shouted. Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck and laughed a bit.

"Uh...well...yea, actually...," he muttered. Ayano nodded.

"Well, ok then," she replied.

"Alright, I think we should get out of here before Daeva sends reinforcements," Kurama suggested, ignoring the young fire goddess reincarnation. They all nodded and took off.

After they were a safe distance from Daeva's fortress, they stopped long enough for Yusuke to pull out his communicator. Within seconds, everyone's favorite blue-haired guide to the spirit world appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Botan, can you get us out of here?" Yusuke asked. She looked worried.

"Did you find Saya?" she asked. He nodded and turned the screen so that Botan could see the brunette was there with them and safe from harm. She squealed and clapped her hands together. "Oh, I just knew you could do it, all of you. One portal to the living world, coming right up!" Yusuke nodded again and closed the device.

Sure enough, half a minute later, a portal came into sight near the group.

"Well, let's go," Kurama said and stepped through, quickly followed by Yusuke, Kijirou, Ayano and Saya. Hiei hned as he did the same and the portal closed off behind them, keeping them safe from any more of Daeva's army, or Daeva herself.

Well, for now at least...

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"Guys! Guys! They're back!" Yukina called back. Kuwabara and Keiko came running to the door, and sure enough, Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, Ayano, and, thankfully, Saya were walking towards them. Keiko rushed out the door and flung herself at Yusuke, who gladly hugged back. By then, Genkai and Koenma, who came to the temple once he was sure they had gotten back to Ningenkai, had met the group out in the snow. Everyone who hadn't been there in Makai asked question after question, but stopped at making sure she was alright once they realized just how tired Saya looked.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. Just a little headache, but really. I'm ok," she assured them. They all smiled, and even Kuwabara managed not to screw up the moment this time with a stupid comment.

They were all together again, and no one was really hurt.

They were also all too excited to notice the man who stood behind a tree, watching, being careful not to be seen.

His "welcome" from Hiei and Kurama wasn't too great, and he anticipated the others to receive him in the same way. But then again, he didn't blame them.

"Hey, Kijirou!" Saya's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

'Damn girl…' he thought to himself. 'Just let me be. Go inside.'

"Get over here!" she called. "I want to introduce you properly"

Kijirou sighed. There was no getting out of this one…

- - - - - - - - -

Once everyone had gotten settled inside once again and Yukina had helped Saya clean up the cut on her cheek and the back of her head where she had been hit when she was captured, Saya introduced Kijirou to the rest as the guy who kept her company in her jail cell. Of course this required her to explain everything that happened to her since she had been taken. However, she was careful to leave out the part about Daeva. For some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to describe the look that was in her eyes and the things she had said…

"So, Kijirou, should we create another portal so you can return home?" Botan asked politely. She had gotten there just as everyone had returned inside. Kijirou smiled a bit.

"Thanks, but I don't know. I mean, I've been in Daeva's prison for so long, I don't even know where my home was anymore, let alone if it's still there," he explained. "I don't really have anywhere to go."

"Then stay here!" Saya suggested, which provoked glares from Hiei, Yusuke, and even Kurama.

"No, I couldn't…" Kijirou protested.

"No, you have to!" Saya replied. "You're the only one here who knew Aurora…me…back then. I'm sure, with you help, I can remember more about her. Please, you have to stay."

Genkai just shrugged. This was Saya's call. She wouldn't interfere.

Kijirou looked around the room, ignoring the hateful looks from the two raven-haired guys and the redhead. At last, he nodded.

"For Aurora," he muttered. Saya grinned.

- - - - - - - -

After it was decided that Kijirou would stay with them all at Genkai's and he had been settled into another guest room, Yukina and Keiko decided that instead of celebrating Christmas, this would now become a "Thank Kami that Saya isn't Dead" party (the name came courtesy of Ayano). Basically, nothing changed, except for the music playing in the background, which went from Christmas songs to music that they listened to on a regular basis. It was after midnight now, but it didn't matter. Everyone was too excited that they had beaten Daeva, indirectly, that they didn't really want to sleep.

Except for Kijirou. He excused himself early, claiming that he was extremely tired and would like to sleep. All were happy to see him go except for Saya. She felt bad for him, especially knowing that the others really didn't care for him.

'That's just because they don't know him yet,' Saya reasoned with herself.

The others sat around the fire Genkai had started in the fireplace, talking about this and that. Niichi had sense that the silver fox had left, and Keiko let him back in when she heard him scratching at the back door. Since then, he had been snuggled up on Saya's lap, as if he knew what had gone on only hours ago.

Since it was so late, it was decided to skip a formal dinner. They did, however, still need to eat, so Genkai ordered pizza. Yusuke reluctantly went to pick it up, seeing as no one else wanted to go and Genkai forced him. She left the group to themselves, though, before he returned with the food.

Kuwabara heard the front door open and instantly shot up.

"FOOD!!" he exclaimed loudly, chasing Yusuke into the kitchen as he carried six sheet pizzas.

"Hey, hold up! I went to pick it up, I get first dibs!" Yusuke argued.

"Nuh uh!" Kuwabara whined.

"Uh huh."

"NUH UH!"

"UH HUH!"

"Guys! Stop! I know how we can settle this!" Ayano replied. They turned to face her, apparently not knowing she had been into the room. She picked up all six pizzas, grinned, then ran as fast as she could out of the kitchen and into her room, locking the door behind her. Yusuke and Kuwabara both sweatdropped, then chased after her and began pounding on the door.

"You can't do that Ayano!"

"Come on! We're starving here!"

"Oh you are not! You just ate an entire chocolate cake by yourself!" Ayano argued back, through the door. Kuwabara whined again.

"Ayanoooooooooooooooooooo!"

Yusuke sighed, picked his leg up, and kicked the door down and barging into her room. Ayano's jaw dropped.

"You can't do that! I need a door! A girl needs privacy!" Ayano cried.

"Then hand over the pizzas!" Yusuke argued back. 

"NEVER!" she yelled, racing past them. She didn't anticipate her broken down door lying there though, and she tripped, falling flat on her face.

Kuwabara bent down to her level now and smirked. Ayano stuck out her tongue. Yusuke grinned and triumphantly carried the food into the dining room, where everyone else had already gathered around (AN: Except for Kijirou and Genkai…who somehow managed to sleep through all of this…)

Together, they ate. Ayano eventually came back out, glaring at the buffoons for awhile, then completely forgetting about it. They all talked and laughed. It was as if nothing changed, but at the same time, they knew everything had.

After they had eaten, Kurama leaned over to Saya.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" he whispered in her ear. She tilted her head to the side, but nodded. She followed him out of the room, most everyone to busy in conversation to realize they were gone.

Kurama led her to the far corner of the temple, so far away that nothing could be heard coming from the dining room where everyone else was. Saya had never been here before, and she doubted Ayano had either.

The room Kurama led her into turned out to be a library. It was rather small, but every wall was lined with books. The carpet was burgundy, and there were two dark green couches in the center of the room. A large chandelier hug down above them, making the room look extraordinary, but very out of place with the rest of the temple.

"Where are-" Saya started.

"I asked Genkai awhile ago if I could build a library here, and one day I came here and there it was. A little elegant for my taste, but it'll do," Kurama explained. Saya smiled.

"No, I like it in here. It feels so…quiet, compared to the rest of the temple," she replied. "Do you spend a lot of time in here?"

"Every now and then. When I get the chance, or if I just need to get away from Kuwabara's incessant…," he paused, struggling to find the right word.

"Stupidity?" Saya offered. Kurama chuckled, and nodded. Just from the look in his eyes, Saya could tell he had other things on his mind. But she didn't know what.

"Oh! I can't believe what an idiot I am!" Saya exclaimed as she smacked herself in the forehead. She sighed. "I forgot to thank you."

"Thank me?" Kurama asked, puzzled.

"For saving me. You came after me, and you all saved my life. Yusuke said that you were the one who went to check up on me, and it's a good thing you did, or I might've been…well…thank you," she finally concluded.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me. I would've come after you no matter what," he replied.

"Oh. Well, what if I told you not to? Or what if coming after me would hurt you?" she asked, toying with him. He smiled softly.

"I'd come after you if it killed me," he whispered. Saya's eyes went wide a bit. This was a shock.

'Well, maybe he didn't mean anything by it…' she tried to reason with herself. But she knew…

"Kurama…," she started, but couldn't finish. The look in his eyes said it all. It was true, what they all said. She had simply been too blind to realize it.

He took a step towards her, then another, placing his hands on her arms. As he closed the space between them, all she could think was that she couldn't believe this was happening. She had always dreamed, but…

Her eyes closed as his lips met hers, and for the first time, she felt anxious, confused, excited, self-conscious, exasperated, and breathless, all at once. This was unreal.

When at last he pulled away, she couldn't help but just stare into his eyes. She tried to summon words, but none came. He just smiled, and she eventually did the same.

"Here, I have something for you," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small red box with a white ribbon and placed it in her hands. She looked up at him, puzzled. He just nodded, laughing a little. "Open it!"

Watching him at first, then turning her attention to the box, she pulled at the ribbon and placed it on the table next to her. Inside the box was the most exquisite pair of earrings she had ever seen. They were genuine pearls, set in solid silver. They were only about an inch long and dangly. Magnificent, yet subtle.

Her jaw dropped. She looked up at him in awe.

"Kurama…," she started again, and once again couldn't finish. "I…I can't accept these…"

"And why not?" he asked, slightly amused.

"They're…they're…so…," she couldn't get the words out.

"Don't worry about the price. I want you to have these," he said gently.

"When did you…"

"I, uh, I have to admit. I lied to you. When we went Christmas shopping, I said that one bag was for Hiei and the other was for my mother but…" he smiled. "Sorry. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It's a surprise alright," she whispered, looking into his eyes again. He had been planning this…

He kissed her again, short and sweet.

"Thank you."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tama: So. Another story I had given up on. But I'm so glad I didn't delete it because I have new ideas! Yaaaaaaaay! So sorry for the wait, guys and gals!

Nori: Finally…

Tama: I know, I know. Everyone hates me. I promise, no more three month long waits. If that happens…

Nori: I get to make you go ice fishing!

Tama: …sure.

Nori::grins::

Tama: Read and review please!


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